WasteAid launches project to boost plastic recycling in The Gambia

A new plastic recycling initiative that aims to empower young and vulnerable people in The Gambia has been launched by WasteAid.

The project, which is funded by the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund (NREF), will see the charity partner with recycling company, Plastics Recycling Gambia, which was launched by young Gambian entrepreneur, Alieu Sowe; three communities; and local waste collectors to improve how plastic waste is collected, sorted and recycled.

As Norway’s largest private environmental fund, NREF supports national and international projects to reduce plastic pollution, increase plastic recycling and reduce the consumption of plastic bags.

Set to run for the next two years, the project will involve the training of collector groups, setting up collection infrastructure, behaviour change campaigns as well as business training support to Plastics Recycling Gambia to help expand the business.

It is hoped that the scheme will drive the recovery of recyclables, not only significantly reducing the amount of plastic that is either dumped or burned but will also help build sustainable income streams for waste collectors, assisting the development of a vibrant circular economy in The Gambia.

The country is one of the few countries committed to meeting the Paris Agreement to keep global warming below 1.5C. Alongside reducing climate emissions, the Ministry of Environment is focused on protecting the country’s natural resources and building resilience to climate shocks such as drought and floods.

Mr Sowe, 26, set up his recycling company in 2019, and following challenging times due to COVID, he received support from a previous WasteAid programme, sponsored by the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management to support Gambian ‘wastrepreneurs’. The Waste to Use Challenge not only provided him with the investment needed to kick-start his enterprise but also gave him the skills and mentoring to ensure it was a success.

His facility is the only organised collection service of high-density plastic in The Gambia. Once collected, the company then cleans and chips plastics so they can be processed by larger companies, including GamPlast, which is currently importing recycled plastics from outside the region, as it is unable to source the HD locally without improvements in the collection system.

Plastics Recycling Gambia currently collects 15 tonnes of hard plastic a month from 21 collection points across the region, providing income for up to 21 waste collectors who collect and bag up the plastics. The company then gather the plastics to wash, sort, chop and chip them. They are then sold to companies including GamPlast who then pelletise them to make consumables including water pipes, basins, and buckets locally.

WasteAid’s initiative aims to increase the volume of plastic recycled at the plant to 50 tonnes each month. It will also create more than 30 jobs for young people wanting the enter the waste sector as well as educating the wider community on potential value of materials they currently consider as waste. The charity will draw on its wide network to open up end markets for the collected and recycled waste – helping to increase the economic outlook across the region.