Co-Create Dakar: The IAM project
In 2021, PLNT and Circular Stories, brought Dutch and Senegalese students, all with different backgrounds, together in an innovation Bootcamp to co-develop circular and innovative solutions for concrete circular challenges to Co-Create Dakar. The project was organized in close collaboration with the African Studies Center of Leiden and the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar and focused on waste management, compost usage, and the development of biogases from animals and water.
About the project owner.
Through in-depth programs and courses, the African Institute of Management or AIM has been providing future managers the keys to growing global businesses from the ground up and offering business solutions to African challenges. Always considering the next step in business management, AIM was looking for new insights into sustainable problems that could be resolved from a business perspective. One of the team saw there a great opportunity to address the issue of plastic waste management.
The team’s idea.
Plastic waste: a global challenge
Plastic waste is one of the most pressing issues we face today on a worldwide scale. Even still, just 8% of plastic is recycled globally, and less than 1% of plastic is recycled in Dakar. The plastic waste problem can be addressed at various stages from waste reduction to collection systems, recycling, or new product development. With that said, these solutions require innovative minds to bring them to life. After analyzing the problem and the context surrounding it, the team of Dutch and Senegalese students realized that Dakar was also struggling with providing roads and pavements in all areas of the city. An obvious solution for the team was the development of pavement material made from recycled plastics. Not only would this material be cheaper to produce on a large scale, it would also be more durable than dirt which is traditionally being used.
A solution to multiple problems
The use of recycled plastic for pavement construction has several benefits aside from directly addressing the plastic waste issue. The development of cheaper and more durable pavements and roads would also facilitate transport, reducing travel time and pollution levels. Recycled plastic also avoids the development of health problems in the population due to water stagnation on dirt roads. Thus, a solution to plastic waste management ends up having multiple social and environmental benefits. Finally, it would allow businesses and individuals to switch their mindset regarding what they consider to be waste and introduce tangible examples of recycling use cases. While focusing on infrastructure solutions, the success of such a project could facilitate the reduction of waste at a greater scale.
Recycled pavements could be implemented in many locations of Dakar – photo by Mostroneddo
Recycled pavements could be implemented in many locations of Dakar – photo by Mostroneddo
Greater challenges ahead.
Like many other team ideas, the implementation of the AIM project would require strong collaborative actions.
The first step of a huge project
The team found an innovative solution to plastic waste. With that said, such a project would require strong collaboration between multiple public and private actors. Systems must allow companies to collect plastic waste, separate usable parts and unrecyclable ones, develop a recycling process adapted to pavements and roads, and only then use the material in the city of Dakar. Even though multiple stakeholders would have to invest time and resources towards this projects, the benefits for the city and the different players would most likely outweigh the risks.
Like many other team ideas, the implementation of the AIM project would require strong collaborative actions.
Co-Create My City is an initiative by de Rijksdienst voor Ondernemers Netherlands.
