“Where does it go?”: Perceptions and problems of riverine and marine litter amongst South Africa and Malawi’s urban poor

With the world’s oceans in crisis, citizen knowledge and awareness around riverine marine waste has become an increasingly crucial topic of study. For most investigations, spatial analysis centered on coastline, or specifically beach, i.e., space where respondents (urban, Northern, middle class), encounter litter. Yet, by focusing beach as primary analysis, studies have severely limited scope citizens they can engage, because many African cities it is a exclusion. Moreover, for individuals further upstream, spaces distant from coast, what are their understandings litter? What hydrological systems standing between them sea, how do see ability to influence them? Drawing extensive qualitative fieldwork low-income, adjacent communities Durban, South Africa, Blantyre, Malawi, purpose this article understand Africa’s urban poor experience The study utilises Foucault’s notion problematisations, more recent adaptations work toward lens conceptualise processes problem formation: individual view litter . Findings suggest that problematisations waste, community system, formed through daily personal hardship; case perceived impact hydroelectricity generation, Johanna Road, its contribution flooding within community. However, environment respondents’ remain limited. Recommendations include rooting education messaging low-income individuals’ lived realities. any interventions targeted towards must be accompanied broader systemic change: improving access solid management services creating cleaner equitable communities.