the “Plastic Odyssey”, a plastic recycling awareness ship, is in Dakar

With our correspondent in Dakar, Juliet Dubois

In the small conference room of the ship, ideas fuse. A dozen young entrepreneurs in the field of recycling discuss with the technicians of Plastic Odyssey. Some, like Saliou Kanté, who works with a landfill in Kedougou, are looking for concrete solutions: “ We have accumulated so much waste, among all this waste that we have accumulated, how do we try to recycle, to save space, but also to process this waste so that it does not pollute our environment? “.

Oumar Lamine Diaby came from Mali. His company, DGB, has already been firmly established since 2017 and produces recycled plastic ducts and pipes. It also has a training center. ” The goal of DGB has always been the training of young people and professional integration. So, if we can bring a bit of expertise on our part, that’s the goal as well. “, he explains.

Previously, the expedition first traveled the Mediterranean and Morocco. The experience of these encounters on board is one of the highlights of stopovers. ” Even within a country, we are always surprised to see that entrepreneurs do not necessarily know each other. And very quickly, we see partnerships being created. And even in the space of a week, we manage to create links between them says Simon Bernard, president of Plastic Odyssey. The boat will stay in Dakar for a month. Visits to schools and an exhibition are also planned.

► To listen also: Plastic Odyssey: a world tour to fight against pollution

And initiatives already exist. In Senegal, plastic waste can now become designer furniture. Since 2022, the creators of the furniture brand Sheznou have teamed up with the recycler Proplast to transform colored plastic sheets into tables, chairs and worktops.