Ecoboats - Fishing boats made of plastic waste

Technology Without Borders decided to support the Cameroonian plastic waste initiative Madiba&Nature as we believe in the potential of this highly innovative project, which not only fights marine pollution and the plastic waste problem in the country, but also promotes equality for women and provides environmental education to young people.

Background:

Millions of people In Cameroon are suffering the effects of plastic waste pollution due to the lack of a recycling system and an absence of environmental awareness. The congested waterways and heavily polluted rivers within big cities cause floods and carry many waterborne diseases.

Who we support:

To tackle this environmental challenge, M&N recruits volunteers to clean up the city and uses the plastic bottles they collect as a resource for building fishing boats. Each Ecoboat is made up of 700 bottles and are sold at an affordable price, a replacement for expensive traditionally made canoes and ensure a food supply for poor families dependent on fishing. So far, 150 Ecoboats have been built, reusing 5000 kilograms of plastic waste.

In order to increase the efficiency of plastic waste collection the project has set up Ecobins (garbage containers, constructed of metal and plastic) along main roads which can collect and hold up to 1000 plastic bottles without the need for a waste collecting workforce. By using a newly developed app, individuals or companies can order an Ecobin and increase their income by selling plastic to M&N. This innovative attempt at fighting marine pollution is the first incidence of a circular economy recycling scheme in the country and offers huge potential in extending this scheme from currently three cities, to the whole of Cameroon.

What we need:

The first initial steps have been made successfully, however, due to lack of funding, we have not been able to meet our primary goals: Implementing a circular economy recycling scheme in the whole of Cameroon based on the accomplishments of the Ecobin, and empowering more people to take up leadership roles in this sector through our educational workshops which have so far been held in twelve schools and two universities.

The 7500€ will provide raw materials and equipment like a shredder or an extrusion machine in order to produce more Ecobins. It will also allow for improvements in the design of the boats and the generation of revenue through the sale of other processed plastic (e.g. LDPE). This will have a significant impact on the amount of waste collected throughout the country, and will be vital for M&N's long term financial independence, as well as the self sufficiency of the vulnerable communities profiting from the boats and income from plastic collections.

For more information please watch the report about Madiba&Nature:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7fsE_1ZQDY