By Hauwa Ali
A United States packaging solutions provider, Dow, in partnership with Wecycler, a plastic waste recovery service in Nigeria, has announced the expansion of sustainability initiatives in Egypt and Guinea as part of its “Stop the Waste” programme, which aims to collect, reuse and recycle one million metric tonnes of plastic worldwide by 2030.
The operation will collect 10,000 tonnes of waste by 2025, including plastic bottles, bags and aluminium cans from households.
Sami Mainich, Dow’s regional director for North and West Africa said the company’s expertise will help improve waste management in Africa.
“In response to the plastic waste crisis, Dow’s materials science expertise and technological capabilities will help improve waste management in Africa by supporting innovative local companies to develop solutions that benefit the environment and local communities,” he said.
Wecyclers, launched in 2012 by Olawale Adebiyi, had provided a plastic waste recovery service in several African cities such as Lagos (Nigeria), where it works with the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).
Working together with local partners, the initiative aims to increase flexible packaging recycling in Africa to establish a market for recycled contents to help address the waste issue while providing job opportunities for local communities.
Olawale Adebiyi, CEO of Wecyclers said: “Through working alongside large supporters like Dow to scale sustainable solutions in tackling flexible packaging waste in Africa, we can help ensure this material retains its value. It has been both rewarding and inspiring to see the positive impact of these combined efforts on Nigeria’s local business communities through the pilot phase of Project REFLEX. We look forward to extending our role in Egypt and Guinea, helping to raise awareness of the socio-economic benefits of sustainable waste management.”
The project has a strong socio-economic focus in addition to providing expertise, funding and technology to bolster efforts to divert plastics waste from the environment.
Dow and Wecyclers want to ensure that local communities in Africa are aware of the value these materials have and the income opportunities they can provide through collection, sorting and recycling.
