Plastic into school tables: a recycling project in Mali and Burkina Faso

Managing plastic waste in poor countries like Mali and Burkina Faso remains a top priority, as it improves the populations’ living conditions and their development. This first plastic waste recycling project for HOPE’87 Burkina Faso was not easy in its implementation due to arising difficulties in the technique of recycling plastic waste. Thus, a technique that mainstreams environment protection throughout its process was implemented, which was an opportunity for the project to wipe out polluting activities and boost the positive effects of waste recycling.

This project began in 2020 and continued its activities in the recycling of plastic waste and the production of school desks in Burkina Faso and Mali until May 2021, when it had achieved all expected results despite the mentioned difficulties. On one hand, its implementation enables capacity building for the two women’s groups set up by the project to ensure sustainable management of plastic waste in the two communes of Finkolo in Mali and Koloko in Burkina. Thus, 50 members of the women groups received the necessary training to carry out plastic waste collection. Furthermore, ten young people were trained in the recycling process. On the other hand, the unit for collecting and recycling plastic waste was built and equipped and made operational. It has enabled school desks production out of recycled plastic waste which were distributed to schools in Heremakono in Mali as well as in Koloko in Burkina Faso.

After completion of the project, the main outcomes are the establishment of two women’s recycling groups in Heremakono and Koloko with a good degree of organisation and well equipped as well as the creation of jobs in collection and recycling with income being distributed to the women and the employees of the recycling site. As a result of the project, the cities are now more sanitised than before. Capitalising on this project will also allow other women to organise themselves and help reduce the negative effects of plastic waste on the environment.