SITUATION OVERVIEW
Thisreportpresentstheresultsofoureffortstocollectandmanage wastefromtheFezaRiverinJanuary2025.Wesuccessfullycaptured atotalof154kilogramsofwaste,preventingitfromreachingthe ocean.Lasttime,duetoheavyrains,theriverbarrierwasdamaged butwasquicklyreplacedwiththesupportofTheRecycler.
Ourbarriereffectivelyintercepted154kgofwaste,primarilygeneral wasteandglassbottles.WiththesupportofEcoEyewearandThe Recycler,weareworkingtowardcleaneroceansandamore sustainablefuture.
ThisreportshedslightonthetypesofwastecollectedbyThe Recyclerandreinforcestheurgentneedforongoingeffortstoreduce pollutioninTanzania’srivers.
InJanuary2025,thefloatingbarrierontheFezaRivercaptured154 kilogramsofwaste.Thistablebreaksdownthetypesofwaste collected,sheddinglightonthemostcommonpollutants:
PLASTICWASTE
REMOVED DETAILED
Thistime,glassbottlesconstitutedasignificantportionofthe collectedmaterials,totaling36kilograms.Additionally,31kilograms ofresidualwasteand29kilogramsofcoloredPETbottleswere recorded.Thesebottles,commonlyusedforbeverages,highlightthe highlocalconsumptionofpackageddrinks,asreflectedintheir prevalenceintheriver.
Wealsocollected14kilogramsofhardplasticwaste,composedof durablematerialssuchascontainers,buckets,andhousehold items.Additionally,11kilogramsoffabricwastewererecovered, includingtextileslikeclothing,upholstery,andotherfabric materials.
PlainPETbottles,totaling33kilograms,remainasignificant componentofthecollectedwaste.Thiscategoryincludeseveryday itemssuchasbeverageandfoodcontainers.Onceagain,glass bottlesconstituteasubstantialportionoftheoverallwaste collected.
Aninterestingfindingisthevarietyofunconventionalwaste recovered,including7kilogramsofsandalsandshoes everyday itemsthatoftenevadeproperdisposal.Additionally,3kilogramsof Styrofoam,anotoriouslynon-biodegradablematerialcommonly usedinpackaging,and2kilogramsofLD/HDfilm,typicallyfoundin plasticwrapsandbags,werecollected.Thesefindingshighlightthe diverseandpersistentnatureofwasteenteringourwaterways.
RIVERWASTEPROFILE: VISUAL BREAKDOWN
PIECHART
EXPLANATION
Thischartillustratesthe compositionofrecyclablewaste collected.PETbottlesmakeupthe largestshareat52.3%,highlighting theirwidespreaduseinbeverage packagingandtheirlong-lasting environmentalimpact,asthey cantakeupto450yearsto degrade.Glassbottlesaccountfor 33.6%,representingasignificant recyclablematerial,thoughoften improperlydisposedof.Hard plasticsconstitute13.1%,including durableitemslikecontainers, whileLD/HDfilmcomprises2.1%, commonlyfoundinpackaging. Thesefiguresunderscoretheneed forenhancedrecyclingpractices andgreaterawarenesstoreduce wasteandpromotesustainability.
*Thesenumbersareinpercentages
Theseeffortsunderscoretheurgentneedforstrongerwaste managementsystemsandgreaterpublicawareness.Businesses,in particular,shouldtakemoreresponsibilityforthelifecycleoftheir products,especiallythroughExtendedProducerResponsibility(EPR) programs,toensurepropercollectionandrecycling. Additionally,thedatarevealsakeyopportunity:asignificantportionof thewastecollectedisrecyclable.Thishighlightsthepotentialfor expandingrecyclinginitiativesandimprovingwastesegregation. Investingineducationandbehavioralchangeisessential notonlyto shiftconsumerhabitsbutalsotopreventtheriseofillegaldumping sites,whichcontributetolong-termenvironmentalharm.
PETBottles
GlassBottles
BEHINDTHEWASTE: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Thewidevarietyofwastecapturedbythebarrierhighlightsthecritical needforaunified,collaborativeapproachtowastemanagementinDar esSalaam.Tacklingthisissueeffectivelyrequiresstrongerengagement fromlocalcommunities,recyclingfacilities,businesses,andpublic authorities.Byworkingtogether,wecandevelopamoreresilientand efficientwastemanagementsystemthatkeepspacewiththecity’s growingenvironmentalchallenges.
EcoEyewearplaysavitalroleinaddressingenvironmentalchallenges byturningwasteintovalue,demonstratinghowsustainablepractices candriveinnovationinfashionandbeyond.Byincorporatingrecycled materialsintotheirproducts,EcoEyewearnotonlyreduceswastebut alsosetsabenchmarkforcorporateaccountabilityandenvironmental stewardship.
PartneringwithWasteFreeOceans(WFO)offersaccesstoexpert-led solutionsinoceanplasticreductionandwastemanagement.Withour proventrackrecordinwasteinterceptionandrecycling,WFOhelps organizationsadvancesustainabilitygoalswhilecreatingimpactful, circulareconomyinitiatives.Joinusindrivinginnovation,raising awareness,andfosteringglobalactionforacleaner,healthierplanet.
FezaRiver PROJECT Tanzania
