Without the luxury of municipal collections household and business waste is a serious health problem in the Gambia: one group is turning it into a opportunity
Waste and resources in the UK has now evolved into a mature industry employing thousands, turning over billions of pounds, encompassing numerous disciplines and recognised as a vital component of a future circular economy. But what was it like 40 or so years ago when recycling and reuse was something promoted by a few lone voices against a majority that saw nothing wrong with landfilling most of our waste, where littering was more acceptable?
I have recently returned from a trip to the west African states of the Gambia where I spent some time with Isatou Ceesay, founder of a revolutionary community recycling project, the Njau Recycling and Income Generation Group (NRIGG). And, as in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s, it is community-based groups leading the way. Few parts of the country receive a municipal waste collection service, let alone a recycling service, so it is up to communities to remedy this.