Kpeshi Lagoon cleanup with UK Aid and SMEP

The project commenced in 2022 in Accra, Ghana, as part of the SMEP program, established by FCDO and implemented in partnership with UNCTAD. RiverRecycle’s river cleaning technology halts the flow of waste into the ocean and recovers the plastic waste for mechanical recycling into boards. Our local partners Beach Clean-up Ghana (BCG) and Ambitious.Africa (AA), facilitate the creation of a land-based plastic waste collection system and the community engagement program encouraging local businesses, schools, and households to segregate their waste at the source.

The project aims to create fair and dignified livelihoods for 1000 informal waste workers and reduce the leaking of plastic waste into the environment, resulting in a cleaner living environment for more than 2.5 million people. In addition, it will also ease the creation of a closed-loop economy in Ghana in which single-use plastics are recycled and reused, displacing the need for virgin materials.

This project is a flagship project replicable across Africa.

Setting up the operations and Outreach

Set up booms and recover plastics from the lagoon for recycling. Recovering plastics from schools and within the community.

Project ongoing – Outreach

Engaging schools, businesses and vendors in the community outreach program. Established a community buy-back centre in the Lima Municipality.

Project ongoing – Sorting

Plastic, mostly PET is sorted, cleaned, shredded and delivered as raw material. Recycled PET reduces the need of virgin materials in the production of new plastic.

Recycling and board production

The plastic collected form the environment and from the community is recycled into plastic boards.