Establishing basic structures for the recycling of plastics in the Suleymaniya Region of Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI)

For a sustainable shift in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) it is crucial to invest in broad scale recycling of discarded reusable material such as plastic, aluminum or glass. To date only a very small percentage of the local waste streams is recycled. Furthermore, waste management is a great challenge for local responsibles, which is especially the case in refugee and IDP camps. For female refugees and IDPs there are many obstacles to generate a sustainable income.

In order to make a shift towards a more sustainable resource use, there is the need to create examples that work and that are reproducible. The best way of creating such examples is connecting their design and development with a capacity building program for future small business holders.

 

Plastic is precious!

The plan is to set up a basic structure for the collection and recycling of plastic waste in a refugee or IDP camp in KRI. The plants planned in this context are to consist of locally available components and are based on the templates of https://preciousplastic.com/ . For a successful basic structure, several gears have to mesh, which requires close cooperation between the actors involved. The task packages include an efficient plastic waste collection concept, the subsequent sorting into the corresponding plastic types and colors, the shredding of the plastic into granulate-like shreds and finally the development and production of a new durable product. All this is accompanied by continuous seminars in which the knowledge required for the task packages is imparted. 

The aim is to create a self-sustaining project through the sale of the products produced, which can grow continuously and is not dependent on any further financial support.

 

There will be research done in collaboration with our local partner NWE organization as well as an assessment on site in order to answer the most important questions concerning availability of raw material as well as the potential choices of resulting products. 

Go fund us!

There is currently running a crowdfunding campaign to raise 20’000 Euro for implementing the project! You can of course also directly donate to our account with “plastic recycling KRI” as a payment reference! Thank you for your incredible support!