How Kenyan and Seychelles youths are solving the plastic menace

Africa Climate Conversations.

Kibera- the biggest informal settlement in Kenya and possibly in the African continent. According to UN-Habitat, Kibera has the highest settlement density of any settlement in Kenya estimated at 250,000 people.

Today, we speak to Stephen Oduor, the founder Kibera Plastic initiative - a youth-led community-based organization ridding the slum of plastic waste. The informal settlement has generally a poor system of solid waste management. With waste mainly dumped in open areas, Oduor says Ngong River has long been a leading dumping site for the locals.

Kibera plastic initiative cleans Ngong river monthly, collecting plastic waste and selling it to recycling companies in Nairobi. The Youth-led organization also supplies the slum dwellers with litter bags while educating the children on environmental protection. What are the impacts realized?

Then we head to the Seychelles island, located along the Western Indian Ocean, and home to about 115 islands. Seychelles banned plastic bags, cutlery and take away boxes in 2017.

Axelle Bodwell, the SIDS Youth AIMS Hub- SYAH Seychelles, tells the Africa Climate Podcast the youth group efforts leading to the ban, and managing plastics already existing in the country before he ban. We also speak about last month’s UN Environment historic resolution at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi to end plastic pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement by 2024.