WasteAid partners with Plastics Recycling Gambia for circularity and raw material supplies

23 Jun 2023 --- WasteAid, a UK-based environmental and development charity, has launched a plastic recycling initiative in The Gambia to boost the country’s circular economy and support the local population with waste collection and recycling. 

In the project, the charity will partner with recycling company Plastics Recycling Gambia, which was launched by young Gambian entrepreneur Alieu Sowe. It is funded by the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund (NREF). 

Marie Krubally, WasteAid’s NREF project manager, says: “We’re excited to be working with private sector entrepreneurs like Plastics Recycling Gambia to help solve a critical environmental problem. Plastic waste is causing a major environmental crisis in The Gambia, and this initiative will divert more than 140 metric tons of plastic diverted away from landfill each year.” 

“By continuing to support the growth of the recycling facility, we are helping to improve the outlook of the surrounding communities by creating job opportunities and addressing the causes of pollution and health issues. Our mission is to change people’s attitudes and behavior so that they can think of the value in the things they currently throw away.” 

The project will support communities and local waste collectors.Developing Africa’s circular economy 
The project is laid out to support three communities and local waste collectors with improving plastic waste collection, sortation and recycling. The project will involve training collector groups, setting up collection infrastructure, behavior change campaigns and business training support to Plastics Recycling Gambia to help expand the business.

Krubally explains that the project will deliver sustained benefits to involved communities and that the aim is for the initiative to create a model that can be used in other countries.

The scheme is driving the recovery of recyclables by reducing the amount of plastic that is either dumped or burned but also helps build sustainable income streams for waste collectors.

WasteAid says that The Gambia is one of the few countries committed to meeting the Paris Agreement to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. 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, asserts the charity. 

Sowe set up his recycling company in 2019, and following challenging times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he received support from a previous WasteAid program sponsored by the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management to support Gambian “wastrepreneurs.” 

Plastics Recycling Gambia collects 15 metric tons of hard plastic a month.Local plastic shortage 
Sow’s facility is said to be the only organized collection service of high-density plastic in The Gambia. Once collected, larger companies like GamPlast can process them. GamPlast currently imports recycled plastics from outside the region, as it cannot source high-density plastic locally without improvements in the collection system.

Plastics Recycling Gambia currently collects 15 metric tons of hard plastic a month from 21 collection points across the region, providing income for up to 21 waste collectors who collect and bag the plastics. The company then gathers the plastics to wash, sort, chop and chip it. The material is then sold to companies, including GamPlast, who then pelletizes it to make consumables, including water pipes, basins and buckets. 

WasteAid’s initiative is said to create more than 30 jobs for young people wanting to enter the waste sector and it will educate the wider community on potential value of materials they currently consider as waste. 

Sowe comments: “I’m very grateful to WasteAid and NREF for their support which will be transformational for our business and will have a big impact on removing more plastic from our environment.” 

“We are hoping that by reaching our target of recycling 50 metric tons of plastic every month, we will be able to reinvest the small profit to ensure the organic growth of the company, which will include expanding to other regions.”

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim