Community Collection and Upcycling of HDPE and Flexible Plastics in Abidjan and Grand Bassam, Cote d’Ivoire - Waste Collection Credits - (PWRS)

This plastic collection project supports waste pickers in the cities of Abidjan and Grand Bassam, Cote d’Ivoire. This project partner designs and manufactures plastic construction bricks made from plastic waste. They have created the non-governmental organization (NGO) foundation and developed the WaY (Women and Youth) Methodology, which established a program of support and empowerment for waste pickers. The foundation formed a de facto association for waste pickers called the Benkadi Association. The Benkadi associates manually collect plastic waste from the street, dumpsites, open land, and beaches.

The project also includes a Collection Point operated by the Foundation and the Benkadi associates, where community members and independent plastic collectors will be invited to sell their household plastic or plastic they have collected from the environment. Collected plastic is transported to a brick manufacturing factory, where it is weighed and recorded. The plastic is formed into durable plastic bricks, used to build schools in Cote d’Ivoire.