SITUATION OVERVIEW
156 REMOVED kg WASTE
Thisreportpresentstheresultsofoureffortstocollectandmanage wastefromtheFezaRiverinDecember2024.Wesuccessfully capturedatotalof156kilogramsofwaste,preventingitfrom reachingtheocean.Thistime,duetoheavyrains,theriverbarrier wasdamagedbutwasquicklyreplacedwiththesupportofThe Recycler,thoughitcauseddelaysinwastecollection.
Ourbarriersuccessfullycapturedatotalof156Kgwaste,asignificant amountofcomposedofgeneralwasteandglassbottles.Alongwith EcoEyewearandTheRecyclerwestrivetobringourworldastep closertohealthieroceansandacleanerfutureforourplanet.
Thedatapresentedinthisreporthighlightsthetypesofwastebeing generatedandcollectedbyTheRecycler;andemphasizestheneed forcontinuouseffortstomitigatepollutioninTanzania'srivers.
FEZARIVERCLEAN-UP: WASTE IN NUMBERS
InNovember2024,thefloatingbarrierontheFezaRivercaptured156 kilogramsofwaste.Thistablebreaksdownthetypesofwaste collected,sheddinglightonthemostcommonpollutants:
PLASTICWASTE
REMOVED DETAILED
Residualwasteonceagainconstitutedasignificantportionofthe collectedmaterials,amountingto36kilograms.Furthermore,21 kilogramsofclearPETbottlesand27kilogramsofcoloredPET bottleswereidentified.Thesebottles,commonlyusedforbeverages, underscorethehighlocalconsumptionofpackageddrinks,as evidencedbytheirprevalenceintheriver.
Wealsocollected11kilogramsofhardplasticwaste,consistingof durablematerialslikecontainers,buckets,andhouseholditems. Additionally,16kilogramsoffabricwastewererecovered,which includestextilessuchasclothing,upholstery,andotherfabric materials.
Glassbottles,totaling33kilograms,remainasignificant componentofthecollectedwaste.Thiscategoryincludes everydayitemssuchasbeverageandfoodcontainers.Once again,glassbottlesconstituteasubstantialportionofthe overallwastecollected.
Anintriguingfindingisthevarietyofunconventionalwaste recovered,including7kilogramsofsandalsandshoes everyday itemsthatoftenescapeproperdisposal.Additionally,3kilogramsof Styrofoam,anotoriouslynon-biodegradablematerialcommonly usedforpackaging,and2kilogramsofLD/HDfilm,typicallyfoundin plasticwrapsandbags,werecollected.Thesefigureshighlightthe diverseandpersistentnatureofwasteenteringourwaterways.
RIVERWASTEPROFILE: VISUAL BREAKDOWN
PIECHART
EXPLANATION
Thischarthighlightsthe compositionofrecyclablewaste collected.PETbottlesdominate at51.1%,reflectingtheir widespreaduseinbeverage packagingandtheirlong-lasting environmentalimpact,takingup to450yearstodegrade.Glass bottlesaccountfor35.1%,a significantrecyclablematerial, thoughoftenimproperly disposedof.Hardplasticsmake up11.7%,consistingofdurable itemslikecontainers,whileLD/HD filmrepresents2.1%,oftenseenin packaging.Thesefigures emphasizetheneedfor improvedrecyclingpractices andawarenesstoreducewaste andpromotesustainability.
Theseeffortsfurtherhighlighttheneedtoestablisheffectivewaste managementpracticesandincreaseawareness.Companies shouldplayalargerroleinthecollectionoftheirproducts, particularlythroughEPRschemes.
Moreover,italsoshowsthateducationremainsanvitalkeyto changeconsumerhabitsandavoidcreatingillegalwastecollection points.Thedatashowsthatasignificantportionofthewaste collectedisrecyclable,whichspeakstothepotentialformore robustrecyclinginitiativesinthefuture.
PETBottles 511% GlassBottles
BEHINDTHEWASTE: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Thediverserangeofmaterialscollectedbythetrashcatcher underscorestheurgentneedforamorecohesiveandcollaborative approachtowastemanagementinDarEsSalaam.Engaginglocal communities,recyclingfacilities,companies,andpublicauthoritiesis essentialtobuildingaresilientandefficientwastemanagementsystem thataddressesthecity’sgrowingchallenges.
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
