Plastic Recycling - World Connect

Year: 2015
Country: Senegal
Project Status: Funded
Impact Sector: Economic Opportunity
Project Investment: $640.00

Project Launch:

In Dabo, there is no waste management system in place. As a result, people throw trash in the streets and rivers and routinely burn piles of trash. To help keep the community clean, the local women’s group will start a new business collecting, sorting, washing, and selling plastic to a collection center in the town of Thies, which is also owned and operated by a women’s group. Both women’s group businesses will improve and Dabo will see less negative environmental and community health impact from trash.

Project Update

The group completed a training on identifying different types of plastic and with the help of the Mayor, secured a permanent location for plastic collection and storage in Dabo. In January 2016, the group began collecting plastic, as well as educating community members on the importance of recycling. To date, the group has collected over 500 kilograms of plastic and are determining the most cost effective way to transport plastic to the collection facility in Thies. As the business grows, the group is interested in partnering with local schools to incorporate environmental awareness and the adverse effects of pollution into their lesson plans. As a result of this project, community members in Dabo can now properly dispose of their waste, instead of burning it or throwing it into the streets or rivers.

Testimonials

"This project is very important. People will start to save their plastics, which is important because we are all farmers and we cannot continue to pollute our environment. We also have malaria during the rainy season, and mosquitoes breed in littered plastic when water collects there. We are going to turn this startup money into a business that will help our whole community." - Project Participant

This project is going to be important for the community. It is important for the people because they have a new opportunity to sell their trash. It is the only opportunity to sell trash at this point. Also, it is important for children because they see trash being collected and will understand the need to keep the environment clean. They have studied the environment in school but they have never seen protection of the environment applied in the community." - Project Participant