Plastic Recycling Project …and supporting rural livelihoods for persons with disabilities
A step towards climate action
Plastic waste is a global concern causing devastating effects to the environment. It is a problem that won’t just go away on its own. It needs a new analysis, innovative ideas, collaborative action and joined up thinking to prevent its negative impact and to stop the planet from suffocating in plastic waste. Despite producing more than 430 million tons of plastic per year (United Nations Foundation 2023), we re-use only around 10%. This results in 90% waste, which is alarming. In Cambodia, in collaboration with our partner organization, Disability Development Service Program (DDSP) in Pursat province, we have established our plastic recycling project. The project mitigates a huge environmental threat (waste plastic), whilst promoting full inclusion (both gender and disability) in a livelihoods project in rural Cambodia. The plastic recycling machines have been used successfully to re-use the plastic and produce materials such as key rings, drink mats, rulers, plastic poles for use in agriculture etc.
Our plastic recycling/waste management project is contributing to a cleaner environment, providing skills and jobs to youth with disabilities and recycling and reusing waste plastic. The plastic rubbish is collected, sorted, cleaned, shredded, and molded into useful products as well as providing useful income to those involved in the project. There are enormous opportunities to scale up.
Throughout our work, we have learnt that actors in the field of development need to go through organizational and systematic processes of change within their programs to move towards sustainable (disability) inclusion. We support these processes at community, organizational and governmental level.