In our quest for solutions in the #Acceleratorlab we came across with one wonderful recycling experience in Cabo Verde, which we’d like to share with you!

Santo Antão is the further Northwest island of the Cabo Verde archipelago. It’s an island known by its mountains, green valleys, rural tourism, trekking and delicious local food, but since 2017, Santo Antão has also became the heart of plastic recycling in Cabo Verde. This is the incredible story of Maria Teresa Segredo and the Netherlands Foundation “Amigos do Paúl” (Friends of Paúl1).

Penedo is a small locality in the gateway to Janela area, after Santa Barbara tunnel for those traveling on the coastal road from the municipality of Porto Novo to Paúl. Arid, eminently a fishing village with some trade and few residents, Penedo is also the access to other touristic places in the region, like Ribeira and Fajã.

Since 2017 the area has gained another movement with the factory that is giving new life to plastics, turning them into tiles and helping to solve one of the environmental dramas in the country, which is the high use of plastic bottles "PET", which after use are thrown to the ground.

An Innovative Recycling Solution!

Each tile produced in Santo Antão uses eight plastic bottles² and they are processed in this innovative recycling factory installed in Penedo. The factory directly employs 5 people and indirectly support many more that collect and deliver plastics from throughout the island, and have an installed capacity to produce up to 24.000 tiles made of plastic with different patterns. The project was promoted by Maria Segredo and the foundation “Amigos do Paúl” in the Netherlands, and was financed by the Dutch Cooperation through the University of TuDelf in Rotterdam.

In November 2018, the factory begun to supply local market with the plastic-made tiles. For the moment, the factory is only recycling “PET” material³ and producing 20x20 tiles for the construction industry and some decorative material. The acceptance now is good and the orders are increasing rapidly. Each box with 24 tiles costs 3,000 CVE (around 27 Euros) and the company is also exporting the product to the Netherlands, through a partner in that European country.

1. Paúl is one of the three municipalities in Santo Antão. Ribeira Grande and Porto Novo are the other two.
2. 5 liter’s plastic bottle (PET)
3. water and refrigerants plastic bottles

The project has awarded an ecological merit medal from the Municipality of Paúl.

Contribution to the Environment

On a daily basis, the company removes about 25 kilos of plastics from the environment and, in two years, has recycled more than 20 tons of garbage and produced more than 2,000 tiles, which are sold in the domestic market and also abroad. For the moment, the factory is only recycling PET material, but they have stored a large amount of plastic bags for “future experiences”.

Hirondino Silva, manager of the factory, says “often people come here and ask us for plastic bottles, because they say they can no longer find them anymore in the streets.” That’s the sign that our environment is cleaner" he added. Santo Antão is benefiting from an environment more and more free from used plastic bottles, which are now harder to find.

To get all the plastic material they need, the factory promotes collection in hotels and restaurants throughout the island. Individuals and families are also gathering plastic bottles in their homes and neighborhood to deliver in the factory, and the company pays for it. There is a local young man that promotes plastic collection in the municipal waste landfill and in public gatherings and celebrations. There is also a focal point for plastic collection in the neighbor island São Vicente. Anyone who wants to send plastic to Penedo can reach the company through its phone contacts and Facebook page. The company can help with the logistics in sending the material, namely through the municipality environment services.

Challenges

One challenge the factory faces is energy supply. Production has to deal with many power cuts and consequent product loses. Diesel generator is not an option for environmental reasons, so the company is studying the possibility of renewable energy supply thought photovoltaic panels.

To increase production, the company needs to rely on plastic supply from other islands. However, maritime connections between the islands as an obstacle, even though the company already has a partnership with a ship that should begin to transport the plastic from other islands to Santo Antão.

The Future

Beside Santo Antão and neighbor island São Vicente, there is “great will” in other islands so send plastic to the factory and to contribute to this cause. One example is the campaign undertaken in Sal Island during the African Beach Games, in with a sensitization information was shared and plastic bottles collection from the beaches to send for recycling in Santo Antão was promoted.

The company is also working in a project of a larger tile, that would require more plastic and contribute even further to reduce the number of used plastic bottles sent to the environment in Cabo Verde, still, this does not depend only on the factory but rather on the entire society and logistic conditions. As Hirondino says “If each one of us makes just a little of what is good for our environment, and gather just one, two or maybe three used plastic bottles, we are very keen to receive it. We want to increase our production and improve our product, but we want also mentalities to change and to make people understand that the environment needs us”.

Our Role

Can we replicate this in other islands? Can we scale-it up in Santo Antão? Is it possible to find ways to channel plastics to Santo Antão and increase production? These are challenges that undoubtedly worth’s our attention. This wonderful example from Santo Antão definitely deserves to be shared. Why not apply the learning cycle and make this experience grow or work someplace else!