C O L I B A COTE D\’IVOIRE Technology, plastic waste

COLIBA is a Web, mobile and SMS platform that connects households and businesses with affiliated plastic waste collectors in Côte d’Ivoire. In exchange for the plastic collected, users receive points which can be converted into data (internet) and basic food products. We then transform the collected plastics into flakes and pellets before being sold to local industries. With this economic model, we provide three major solutions:Preserving the environment: each year, Côte d’Ivoire produces more than 200,000 tonnes of plastic waste. Unfortunately, 90% of it is not recycled. They end up either in the landfill, burned, buried or thrown in the lagoon, which is catastrophic and dangerous for our environment.Creating jobs: according to the Ivorian government, the green sector represents at least 10,000 potential jobs while + 45% of Ivorians have no stable employment. So this is a great opportunity to create green and sustainable jobs. In less