Recycling plastic in the DRC

Kinshasa, the mega city sprawl of the Democratic Republic of Congo, usually conjures up images of piles of debris and streams full of plastic. However, this home to 12 million people is on a new trajectory of transforming its trash into treasure.

The country's pioneering recycling company Clean Plast is making waves in the city, recycling all types of plastic in an effort to tackle the pollution in the city.

Company director, Alexander Bamanisa comments.

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 been collected for recycling purposes, the assortment of plastic materials have the potential to be upcycled and repurposed into new products. Nevertheless, the sustainability of the project is furthered by those collecting these materials and not just the materials themselves.

All Clean Plast employees specialise in a particular stage of the recycling process and this includes freelance collectors who earn per kilo of plastic they've gathered and which in turn contributes to the domestic sector.

One self-employed plastic vendor, Jeanne Bopema, 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 (about $0.75)."

Commercial and manufacturing firms also serve as key sources of plastic refuse, which allows for a broader range of plastics to be recycled resulting in more cost-efficient raw materials.

Clean Plast's director hopes this will spur on enterprises to join in their fight against pollution.

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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