Small-scale plastics recycling in Africa

Recycling plastic in Africa is seldom a straightforward win, especially in remote and coastal areas. Across the continent, the cost of collecting, transporting, and processing plastic waste often outweighs the market value of recycled plastic. For many communities – especially those far from urban centres – this turns plastic waste into a persistent challenge and an ongoing cost to communities rather than an opportunity. Transport costs alone can make recycling unviable, especially when most demand for recycled plastic is concentrated in big cities.

But solutions are happening on the ground!

In this upcoming webinar, organised and hosted by Waste Wise, we will hear from two small-scale plastic recyclers on the west and east coast of Africa, The Gambia and Kenya, including SMEP’s grantee, the Flipflopi Project. They’ll share the realities of working in coastal communities – their successes and struggles – and how policies and financial systems can either support or hinder their work. Dipesh Pabari, co-founder of Flipflopi, will introduce the  Flipflopi Toolkit, a new, practical resource made possible by the SMEP Programme and created to support plastic recovery efforts in peri-urban, shoreline, and remote communities across Africa and beyond.

Be sure to join for the upcoming webinar, moving the conversation from problems to solutions and spotlighting the local innovation already making a difference!