How about plastic recycling in Sierra Leone?

PART 1: Investigating Freetown

You wouldn’t expect such friendliness in a country widely known for its cruel civil war, poverty, ebola outbreak, and blood diamonds. This once extremely promising West African land has become largely dependent on foreign aid, its government incapable to bring about the necessary change. Whilst dealing with basic issues such as malnutrition, unemployment, inadequate housing and illiteracy, ‘secondary’ problems like pollution and flooding are neglected,though their impact on the wellbeing of both state and people is considerate.

Better Future Factory went on a mission to explore the possibilities of low-tech plastic recycling in the country’s capital, Freetown.

At first sight, Freetown resembles a colorful yet chaotic patchwork of narrow alleys, small and cracky buildings, rusted cars and noisy motorbikes. But once you start driving through this city -or at least make an attempt-, passing harbours and marshland along the shores, cutting through a condensed built center over one-way streets, then up into the steep lush green hills not suitable for construction, you get to understand the difficulties this city needs to overcome. An obvious one is the serious shortage of -proper-roads and parking space, accumulating into the omnipresent traffic jams and general delay. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to create floating parking decks of recycled material into these barely used marshlands, which happen to side with the location of Freetown’s commercial core? Creating space from waste?

TO BE CONTINUED

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This can be applied to all areas of your life. We all have a purpose prepared for us in advance and all we have to do is be willing to let it be. Let it come to us. Don’t compare your life to others…