Blancos’ Post

Get to learn about EPR in Kenya and follow what Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) are doing with partners on awareness.

Nigeria generates about 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, yet over 88% of this plastic waste is not recycled. Instead, it ends up in water bodies such as rivers, lakes, drains, lagoons, and the ocean, causing significant environmental damage and posing risks to aquatic life and human health. To curb this, we must intentionally set up comprehensive waste management systems. This includes building and maintaining recycling facilities, implementing effective waste collection and segregation processes, and promoting public awareness campaigns about the importance of recycling and proper waste disposal. Additionally, strict regulations must be enforced to ensure compliance and accountability across all sectors. We are all stakeholders in the environment, and it is our collective responsibility to take action. By working together—government, businesses, communities, and individuals—we can create a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future. #wastemanagement #recyclinginnigeria #plasticwaste #recyclingfacts #gogreen #pollution

🌍 The Plastic Crisis is Real – It’s Time for Action! 🌍 With the recent closure of Uganda’s largest landfill, Kiteezi, we are seeing the devastating impacts of plastic waste on our communities and environment. From job losses to flash floods in Kampala, it’s clear that we must act now to tackle this issue. At Newtonia Green Nature Initiative, we are stepping up by recycling plastics and transforming them into eco-friendly construction materials while creating jobs for youth, women, and people with disabilities. 💚 Read more about the effects of plastic pollution and how **you can join us** in making a difference by supporting our recycling efforts. Let’s work together to protect our planet! 🌿👇 #Sustainability #Recycling #PlasticPollution #GreenInitiatives #ClimateAction https://lnkd.in/db2RkySt Crisis. Eng. Allen M KimamboNtabazi Raymond JamesTracey LeechDan Barrios-O'NeillUNEP-WCMCIUCN

Yesterday at the second Africa Waste is Wealth (AWW) conference, we held a thought-provoking poll on the potential impact of plastic credits in reducing plastic pollution across East Africa. The results were split—42% believe plastic credits can have a major impact, while an equal percentage think they may help but are not enough on their own. Plastic credits work similarly to carbon credits, where companies that reduce or recycle plastic waste earn credits that can be traded or sold to other companies to offset their plastic footprint. This mechanism incentivizes organizations to take responsibility for the plastic they produce while also creating a market-driven approach to fighting pollution. However, the debate on their effectiveness continues, with some advocating for more comprehensive solutions beyond credits alone. The mixed poll results reflect this ongoing discussion and highlight the importance of exploring both regulatory and market-based solutions to our plastic waste challenge. What are your thoughts? What is your organization doing to reduce plastic waste? #PlasticCredits #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #WasteToWealth #PlasticPollution #EnvironmentalResponsibility #GreenBusiness #AfricaSustainability #ClimateAction #ZeroWaste

From scavenging plastic waste to sorting through paper and cardboard, waste pickers are the backbone of our waste management system. Yet, their vital role often goes unnoticed. At TakaNiAjira Foundation, we recognize the invaluable contribution of waste pickers. They toil tirelessly in often hazardous conditions, yet receive minimal compensation for their efforts. Despite these challenges, they remain steadfast in keeping our communities clean and sustainable. We are proud to reaffirm our commitment to empowering waste pickers. They are not just workers but essential waste management value chain players. By supporting and uplifting them, we enhance their livelihoods and strengthen our collective efforts towards a more sustainable future. Together, let's ensure that they receive the respect, support, and compensation they truly deserve. #BeProudOfEachKilo #LetsValueWastePickers #TakaNiAjira #LightToWasteVoiceForWastePickers ISWA International Solid Waste Association WIEGO - Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives) Africa Circular Economy Research and Policy Network (ACERPiN) International Alliance of Waste Pickers UNDP Tanzania UNDP Accelerator Labs Alliance to End Plastic Waste Plastic Pollution Coalition Umesh Madhavan Fair Circularity Initiative The Circulate Initiative Eng. Allen M Kimambo Beatha Malauri, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete Foundation (JMKF) Zoë Lenkiewicz Sonia Dias Taylor Cass Talbott Esther Chibueyin Fagbo Kabir (Qabeer) Arora (Jalandhari) Kari Herlevi Valérie Boiten Miranda Schnitger Ellen MacArthur Foundation Kenya national waste pickers Joyce Gachugi - Waweru PAKPRO Kenya

🌍 The Plastic Crisis is Real – It’s Time for Action! 🌍 With the recent closure of Uganda’s largest landfill, Kiteezi, we are seeing the devastating impacts of plastic waste on our communities and environment. From job losses to flash floods in Kampala, it’s clear that we must act now to tackle this issue. At Newtonia Green Nature Initiative, we are stepping up by recycling plastics and transforming them into Eco-friendly construction materials while creating jobs for youth, women, and people with disabilities. 💚 Read more about the effects of plastic pollution and how **you can join us** in making a difference by supporting our recycling efforts. Let’s work together to protect our planet! 🌿👇 #Sustainability #Recycling #PlasticPollution #GreenInitiatives #ClimateAction Garrett Smith, P.E.Tracie LuTraceless National Challenge FundTracey LeechEng. Allen M Kimambo. https://lnkd.in/dpQ_ssUS Crisis.

Reducing plastic waste pollution requires innovative solutions like the ones implemented by Newtonia Green Nature Initiative Ltd in Uganda. By recycling plastics into eco-friendly products like paver stones, they not only reduce waste but also contribute to a cleaner environment. With support, they can recycle up to 50 tonnes per day using modern machines such as shredders, extruders, and hydraulic presses. Supporting initiatives like this not only helps tackle plastic pollution but also promotes sustainable practices for a greener future. #ngni #plasticrecycling #https://lnkd.in/d9wANuY7

On #GlobalRecyclingDay, we spotlight Keiran Smith, CEO of recycling company Mr. Green Trading Africa Kenya Ltd. who shares his view on the pivotal role of informal waste workers in tackling the plastic pollution challenge. A core part of Mr Green Africa’s work is integrating informal waste workers into their formal value chain which not only increases the amount of post-consumer plastic waste collected but also provides workers an opportunity to earn a fair and transparent income and other benefits. Our Responsible Sourcing Initiative is a global multi-year program focused on addressing human rights issues in plastic recycling supply chains. All stakeholders including governments, brands, recyclers, aggregators, and waste worker associations have a part to play in ensuring inclusive and socially responsible supply chains. Join us, as we pursue our goal of improving the lives of 50,000 waste workers by 2025. View full video: https://bit.ly/RSI-Video #responsiblesourcing #circulareconomy #plasticwaste #plasticpollution #plasticimpact #oceanplastic #sustainability #sustainableimpact #socialimpact #wastemanagement #recycling #recycledplastic #justransition #wasteworkers #informaleconomy #supplychains

It is widely recognized that inadequate waste management, a lack of public awareness, hardly any economic mechanisms to incentivize waste reduction and utilization as a secondary resource (UN Environment Programme), has resulted in the equivalent of a football pitch openly dumped or burned across sub-Saharan Africa every minute contributing to 1.2 million premature deaths per year in Africa (Tearfund) while the waste sector at large contributes to 8% of Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions. Despite a national ban in Kenya, open burning of waste including plastics in communities like ours is the most common form of waste disposal (*2022 public survey and 2024 collectors survey) thus plastics remain a significant contributor of emissions through their entire lifecycle. Tragically, our surveys also showed that it was common to burn plastics as a source of heat for cooking amongst the poorest communities. With the introduction of cash incentive for plastic recovery initiated by grassroots organisations like Taka Taka Heroes in 2021 and scaled in 2022 by the Flipflopi’s The SMEP Programme Program, 257,400kgs of recycable plastics have been collected in less than two years avoiding 246 tonnes of CO2 emissions let alone the positive impact on public health. Despite the best of intentions, municipalities and the community lack financial resources to address the problem that is further exacerbated by the constant flow of plastics washing up on the shores from across the ocean. The potential for sustaining the positive impact to people and planet by finding circular solutions that lead to secondary income generating products like our traditional furniture and boat building has demonstrated the viability for a business model to manage a high percentage of the waste plastics while subsidies through the plastic recovery programs (credits) and Extended Producer Responsibility schemes can support the high cost of recovery as well as a supporting government framework can lead to unlocking the circular economy for quality plastics but this has to be juxtaposed to an enabling environment to enforce existing bans of single use plastics if we are truly turn the tide on plastic pollution. Want to find out more? Head to our 2023 impact report! https://lnkd.in/d7tqFpXJ #epr #plasticpollution #plasticrecovery #airpollution #carbon #carbonreduction