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Workers
pave the ground with recycled cobblestones made of plastic waste, in Yaounde,
Cameroon ©Reinnier Kaze (AFP)
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Cameroonian
footballing hero Roger Milla, the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history, is
taking on an even bigger challenge in a very different field -- turning plastic
waste into building materials.
The
man named the best African player of the 20th century last year embarked on a
quest to resolve Cameroon's massive plastic waste problem.
With
plastic bags and bottles routinely cast away in the central African country,
the waste clogs up rivers, litters roads and blocks gutters.
"We
launched this project to fight pollution and create jobs for unemployed
youngsters," Milla, who is now 63, told AFP.
The
problem has become so bad that in 2014 the government banned "the making,
importing, selling or distribution of non-biodegradable plastic
packaging".
But
some producers resisted, and earlier this month 100 tonnes of plastic packaging
were illegally produced and seized in Cameroon's largest city Douala.
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With
plastic bags and bottles routinely cast away in the Cameroon, the waste clogs
up rivers, litters roads and blocks gutters ©Reinnier Kaze (AFP)
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Milla,
who rose to international fame in the late eighties and early nineties for his
trademark goal celebration of a dance by the corner flag, is now creating a new
band of followers.
He
is forming what he hopes will be a 2,500-strong team of youths to collect and
sort plastic waste, the raw materials for his modern alchemy.
The
project is being carried out under the banner of Milla's Coeur d'Afrique (The
Heart of Africa) association for children, and its new off-shoot focusing on
the environment and sustainable development.
Raising
awareness
"We
have selected a first 25 youngsters and have given them comprehensive
training" so they can in turn become trainers and induct others, said
Pancrace Fegue, the association's executive secretary.
The
pioneer group has already produced thousands of paving stones, used notably for
the renovation of the Cameroon handball federation's premises.
In
November, Milla's association raised awareness in two Yaounde schools, inviting
students to pick up plastic waste in their areas. Within a week the
school-children had collected three tonnes of waste.
"We
want the pupils and the households to understand that plastic has a new
destination," beyond the rubbish bin or the street, said Fegue.
"When
we get all the recovered waste back to the warehouses, we start sorting through
it," explained Pierre Kamssouloum, the project's technical director.
Not
all plastic is suitable. Anything containing chlorine, for example, is sifted
out.
Once
they've identified the usable plastic, the industrial magic starts.
"The
plastic serves as a binder and replaces cement," in the production of
concrete slabs, Fegue explains.
The
plastic is melted down in a large tank placed over a wood fire.
Sand
is then added to the molten plastic and the hot mixture poured into moulds.
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These
cobblestones made of plastic waste cost 3,500 Central African francs (US$5.40)
for a square metre that is five centimetres thick, while the usual cost is
5,000 francs ©Reinnier Kaze (AFP)
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The
process doesn't need water and the product sets and dries at room temperature
within 15 minutes, according to Kamssouloum, as opposed to the 24 hours for the
normal sand and cement based product.
Nor
do the advantages stop there.
"Our
paving stones are cheaper," Kamssouloum said. They cost 3,500 CFA francs (€5,
US$5.40) for a square metre that is five centimetres thick, while the usual
cost is 5,000 CFA francs.
The
new slabs are waterproof and can be used in marshy areas or even to build
septic tanks, he added.
Helping
street children
Labogenie,
a national laboratory tasked with testing construction materials, said the
slabs showed "encouraging results", but that further testing was
needed.
"The
results we've obtained on the issue of these paving stones' capacity to absorb
water are interesting," said Paul Mallo Nkongo, Labogenie's chief analyst.
"The
idea of recycling plastic waste is beautiful (and) this initiative would allow
us to get rid of some waste material," he added.
Milla
hopes the project will also help street children re-enter society.
"This
project can help me cope better," said Elvis Kake, one of the children
involved.
While
the environment ministry has pledged it would help by handing over waste
non-biodegradable plastic packaging, the project still faces several obstacles
before it can take off.
Vehicles
to collect rubbish and funds to train the youngsters are still needed, Feugue
says.
The city has offered the
group a temporary production site, but further down the line the project will
need a more permanent home.
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Cameroon's
international striker Roger Milla was in 2015 named the best African footballer
of the 20th century ©Alexander Joe (AFP)
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Originally published by AFP
