26
Zambia’s plastics recyclers
gear up
A delegation of African innovators came to the IFAT expo in Munich to share their
best practices. They included Mwansa Matokwani who told how she is trying to
‘reshape’ plastics recycling in her native Zambia.
‘Our journey started not too long ago
but we already have our feet firmly on
the ground with a rapidly growing
crew and user base,’ explains
Matokwani, an environmental scientist
from Siavonga who founded the
Maluwa Foundation in 2017.
She tells Recycling International her
mission is two-fold: to get companies
more involved and for people to final-
ly take recycling seriously. ‘For this to
be possible, we need proper recycling
infrastructure. It’s something I’m fight-
ing for by creating links between local
producers and consumers.’
CEMENT FEEDSTOCK
Meanwhile, Matokwani is exchanging
know-how about circular business
models with fellow scientists and
researchers at European universities
including Bonn in Germany. As a
result, she has set up several outreach
programmes and clean-up campaigns
targeting the shores of Lake Karib as
well as city hotspots.
‘I am proud to say we have collected
almost 20 000 tonnes of plastic con-
tainers and bottles for recycling in a
year. That’s a big step up considering
we started at pretty much square one.’
The collected material is sent to local
cement factories. ‘You could say we
are trying to improve infrastructure in
two areas: sustainability and construc-
tion,’ Matokwani adds.
BIG SOCIAL IMPACT
Her organisation has created many
jobs over the last five years. Some are
waste pickers, others are sorters or
mentors who train newcomers and
speak at schools and companies
across the country. ‘Most are women,
young women especially,’ Matokwani
points out. ‘We teach them that waste
is a valuable resource; one that can
earn them a profit if their team can
jointly collect at least 30kg per day.
That’s all the incentive they need.
They want to be independent.’
The entrepreneur, who is a specialist
in toxicology, takes it a step further by
fighting not just plastic waste but illit-
eracy.
‘With my foundation, I want to
empower people. To equip them with
practical skills so they can find a
meaningful job. On day one they may
be a waste picker or sorter but who
knows what the future holds?’
She has also set up a special youth
group to help give youngsters a fresh
start. ‘I want to take them out of a
dangerous situation often marked by
domestic violence and substance
abuse – to give them hope. If you
want to make an impact in Africa, you
have to go beyond just cleaning up
the mess. You have to build a deep
connection, to include people in the
conversation.’
Benedicte Cockuyt, ceo of Hermion, says
the company has some ‘major’ projects in
the works. Besides plastics, the company
is now also focussing on battery recycling.
Komptech was back at IFAT with great enthusiasm. The company has not just expanded
its portfolio with the arrival of four new machines, but also its team.
A U T H O R Kirstin Linnenkoper
20-21-22-23-24-25-26-27_thebestofifat.indd 26 05-07-2022 13:38
