Pioneering project in Uganda
Plastic recycling scheme to tackle environmental problems and provide employment opportunities
A Quaker couple in Uganda have pioneered a new project aimed at tackling environmental problems and securing employment for disabled people. Mike and Liz Watson, of Skipton Meeting, moved to Uganda to work on health issues with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). After a two-year placement, they will return to Britain next month. They have worked with local people to establish a scheme for recycling plastic in Gulu, in the north of the country. Plastic bottles are reported both to litter the streets and to block drains, causing a health hazard.
Local man Manana Yusufu has, for eight years, operated a business recycling waste plastic but costs and practicalities meant he was unable to include plastic bottles. Mike and Liz’s project has provided the business with a ‘crusher’ machine. They say this will reduce costs and allow the recycling of bottles. They are hoping that plastic bags will soon be included too. They aim to ‘create work, independence and confidence for mentally and physically disabled persons’.
Mike Watson thanked Friends in Skipton and elsewhere for their support. He said the project ‘has an assured future as a template for other towns and cities in east Africa and a catalyst for further action’.
Comments
Wonderful empowering work.
By Anne Palfrey on 11th January 2012 - 10:10
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