That the lack of treatment of plastic waste is a major problem in Tanzania, as in other African countries, is proven by a desperate measure: the one taken by the country's authorities in 2019, by prohibiting the entry of bags and plastic packaging in the country and limit its supply in businesses, giving rise to one of the most restrictive legislations in this regard in the world. Since then, using these items in unauthorized spaces can even lead to prison sentences.
Despite the strict regulations, the Tanzanian soil is still covered by empty bottles, bags and containers that have been accumulating for years like a carpet of garbage that is almost impossible to eliminate.
However, in a small rural area located next to Mount Kilimanjaro, three days were enough to radically change the situation thanks to the collaboration between the NGO Tatu Project, based in the Tanzanian city of Moshi, and the company based in Lorquí and specialized in waste management DeVuelta, with an initiative that had “unexpected” success and unleashed a true revolution: changing each kilo of plastic for one kilo of sugar.
Bags collected by locals in the villages of Msitu wa Tembo and Londoto were taken to a recycling plant
The head of the economic area of the Murcian company, Goyo Hernández, knew the problem first-hand. In 2021, while traveling around the country, he was surprised by the “enormous amounts of plastic that were seen in the gutters.” There he visited, with the help of Borja Moreno, co-director of the NGO, his friend and forensic doctor by profession, the work that Tatu Project was carrying out in the area.
The humanitarian project focuses its efforts on helping Msitu wa Tembo and Londoto, two isolated rural villages subject to harsh conditions for access to water, food and health care. “In Msitu wa Tembo there is only one doctor for 15,000 people, and the nearest river to get water can mean a 24-hour round trip on foot,” explains Moreno.
Since 2013, the NGO has been developing various actions to improve the lives of locals in areas as varied as health promotion, women's empowerment, the start-up of bicycle businesses, the construction of small infrastructures and the creation and sale of Maasai crafts, among others.
A conversation between Goyo and Borja also opened the door to garbage collection. “We wanted to do something and we were clear that it would have to do with recycling,” explains the financial manager of the Murcian company. The idea was soon clear: offer an essential product in exchange for removing waste. “There is no garbage or collection system there, and there is no asphalt either, so all the waste remains accumulated there,” explains Moreno.
«The NGO told us that sugar is very expensive. A kilo costs about 1.5 euros, so we decided to offer that,” says Goyo Hernández.
What he could never imagine is what was going to happen. The campaign was launched at the beginning of March and “it was crazy.” “They called us from the NGO because people from other towns started arriving,” she says. «She got out of hand –acknowledges the co-director of Tatu Project–. “We had to notify DeVuelta of what was happening and, after ten minutes, they doubled the financial contribution.”
In just one day, more than a ton of plastic was removed from those two villages. In the two previous days, awareness talks were given and outings were also organized with schoolchildren to search for waste. “It was impressive. It led us to realize the enormous problem there is with plastic in the world,” they point out from the NGO, which had to hire “several trucks” to take what was collected to a recycling plant in Moshi, 30 kilometers away. In total, the investment was around 3,500 euros, a small cost for a big change. DeVuelta is already clear that he will repeat the initiative, and now he is considering taking one more step: «We would like to build a school. “We are talking to other Murcian companies to make it a reality.”
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