Recycling plastic in the DRC

Kinshasa is a megalopolis of 12 million people, infamous for its heaps of rubbish and rivers covered in plastic bottles. However, this rubbish is now being turned into riches by the Democratic Republic of Congo's first recycling company Clean Plast.

The company collects and sorts all different kinds of plastic rubbish from the capital city in an attempt to solve some of its major pollution problems.

Alexander Bamanisa is the director of Clean Plast.

Alexander Bamanisa: "Plastic waste takes the longest time to decompose in nature, between 100 and 1,000 years. So it was important for us to contribute and to look for a sustainable solution to this waste problem."

Having collected the waste plastic for recycling, it is then processed to be used in the production of new items. However, the sustainability also lies with the locals who carry out the collection process.

Clean Plast has trained locals in specific areas of recycling and they've even got freelance plastic collectors who get paid per kilo which in turn creates employment in the city.

One Clean Plast collector, Jeanne Bopena, shares her experience.

Jeanne Bopena: "I collect plastic waste from the dustbins and also from people who chuck litter all along the roads. Today I sold 6 kilos of plastic waste for 1,500 Congolese francs."

Clean Plast also sources plastic directly from enterprises and manufacturers. The various plastics can be recycled in a variety of ways leading to a reduction in the cost for raw materials.

Bamanisa hopes this will provide further incentives for businesses to recycle.

Alexander Bamanisa: "Depending on the type of plastic waste, the process will be different. We will either compact it, grind it, wash it to make it into a reusable raw material. The raw material that we make is what we call 'next virgin'. It's raw material that is pure and can be reused in any industry that produces plastic goods."

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