By Bisola Adeyemo
Sami Ben Yahia, president of ACT’UP, an association that works for a cleaner Tunisia said recycling helps reduce plastic waste in the country.
An estimation suggested that about 6.8 kilos of plastic are discarded daily on every kilometre of Tunisia’s beaches, this has caused a big problem in Tunisia, Africanews reports.
“The recycling process helps in the controlled disposal of waste and contributes to creating a green economy and reducing pollution, reducing CO2 emissions. The recycling process requires less energy than producing a new product”, says Sami Ben Yahia.
“I assure you that between 60-70% of the residents of this neighbourhood work in the collection of plastic. And in every place that collects waste like this, you will find people looking for plastic. The amount of plastic decreases in winter compared to summer when plastic bottles are overused” claims plastic collector Ridha Alaya.
Recently, Tunisia government announced the banning of single-use plastics by the end of 2021.
Due to this, the government has now joined forces with local waste collectors, to clean up the country and ensure that no single plastic remains on the streets.
This activities also create a full-time job for many waste collectors, particularly the youths in the country.
Reasons for a plastic crisis in Tunisia is yet to be known to many as some argue that it’s a result of the deteriorating political and economic situation that has affected the North African country for the last decade.
“The reasons are many, such as the lack of a budget, a shortage of trucks for waste, in addition to a shortage of manpower”, explains Mehdi Jerbi, procurement official at ACT’UP.
The country’s shore stretches for over 1,300 kilometres.
