At Mondo4Africa we are committed to fight pollution and promoting sustainability in African communities. However, regarding plastic pollution we found an important paradox: poor communities need plastic in order to have access to low cost needs, such as water or food.
Then, How we could removed plastic without affecting negatively the people involved?
Solving this question we found out that through collection points residents could get resources with their plastic waste. This way: we pay for this plastic. This gives communities a financial incentive to keep their spaces clean and free of pollution. This plastic is recycled for us, what reduce plastic comsumption at the end.
Thats is how “there is nothing to be wasted” was born, materialized in our collection points.
Our project coordinator, Amoo Farouq, visits one of our collection points in Makoko
The impact that this project will have on communities such as Makoko (Nigeria) or Nungua (Ghana) is huge. It will not only help to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills or the environment, but it will also generate economic resources for the communities. In addition, we are working in collaboration with local businesses and organizations to ensure that the collected plastic is recycled effectively.
Furthermore we reach places where government or privates companies do not. Either for economic reasons, or geographically difficult to access areas
This is the case of Tarkwa (an isolated bay located in the cost of Lagos) or the already mentioned Makoko, the venice of Africa. With our collection points we work with the communities in the way we can solve their waste management problems.
A woman show us her garden which is been used to storage the plastic collected in Tarkwa Bay, Lagos
Finally, we are creating a social change in the way communities relate with their waste. Thus communicating that plastic have value, we not only gets their plastic, but also avoid unhealthy practices such us littering.
With this work, one of the most beautiful chapters of our project begins. Our “nothing to be wasted” project is an innovative and sustainable initiative that can make a big difference in African communities. We are excited to see the changes we are making in Makoko, and we look forward to continuing to work with other communities to make Africa a cleaner and more sustainable place.