Plastic waste pollution is one of the major challenges that the world faces today and needs to be solved to protect our living environment and the oceans.
Rapid urbanization and economic development are increasing amounts of solid waste. The worst part is that the plastic that makes up the total waste can take up to about 19%.
Solid waste and more specifically plastic waste is becoming a major headache for waste management officials struggling to implement an affordable and effective waste management system suitable for their city.
Globally, only about 15% of the generated plastic waste is recycled and although a considerable amount of plastic waste is collected by waste pickers and sold to the plastic recycling sector, there is still a lot of plastic waste dumped and burnt in landfills.
This affects public health as the concern about microplastic and the increased risk of particles entering food chains is growing as well as the toxic gases that emanate from dumpsites.
It is for this reason that we will be taking a look at what entrepreneurs with viable business ideas around plastic waste are doing. One of such entrepreneurs is Mamadou Diaw.
Mamadou Diaw is the founder of DMS (Synthetic Material Development), a growing business based in Thiès, Senegal. DMS is Senegal’s first and only producer of drip irrigation systems, made of up to 100% of recycled plastic. The company provides after-sales service and hands-on training in the use of the drip irrigation system.
After several years of experience in an industrial metal production company in Italy, Mamadou Diaw developed skills in the fields of production of pipes and recycling of plastic products. It was that experience that motivated him to start producing PE water pipes and electricity tubes out of recycled plastic waste.
With the experience he acquired in Italy, Mamadou Diaw does not only see what he does as just recycling plastic waste but also sees it as the development of activity with positive environmental impact, especially in rural areas.
Apart from manufacturing products made of recycled plastics, Mamadou Diaw also gives training to students and waste pickers about the collection and sorting of plastic waste.
The journey for him hasn’t always been rosy as he faces major challenges such as 100% recycling of plastic waste as well as financial constraints.
Despite the challenges, Mamadou Diaw remains positive and aims for a growth of about 20% turnover each year to stay afloat.
He believes that research and innovation in plastics and the circular economy are needed for him to find effective solutions for a 360-degree control of the issue.
