Towards a sustainable, inclusive and circular urban ecosystem in Porto-Novo Benin
Porto-Novo, the administrative capital of Benin, faces major socio-environmental challenges, worsened by the limited capacity of its waste management system, which negatively impacts living conditions, public health, and economic opportunities.
Despite national reforms and the creation of the national waste management and sanitation company (SGDS), the waste management system remains incomplete: there are no sorting or recycling facilities, and most of the waste is buried, causing severe pollution. Informal workers are largely excluded, and schools lack environmental education, reinforcing unsustainable practices.
In response, Gbobètô France and Gbobètô Benin have joined forces to establish a new local waste management solution through the establishment of two recycling centers and a “Comptoir du Plastique” (Plastic Counter). The project provides targeted technical support for the establishment of a local value chain and recycling ecosystem, which creates economic opportunities around recycled plastic to further empower local waste pickers and reduce environmental pollution. In the same time, community awareness raisin sessions are planned within the school communities to encourage lasting sustainable practices among young people.
Budget
€ 111,862
In partnership with
The activity involves supporting two preselected women’s cooperatives (Foun-Foun and Tokpota) to expand their income-generating activities in waste management and plastic recycling. Since their formal establishment in 2023, the project now aims to further consolidate the model by building hangars and supplying each cooperative with baling presses and two full sets of personal protective equipment (helmets, boots, masks, goggles, ear protection, gloves, safety vests), in addition to small tools (shovels, wheelbarrows, pruning shears, composting liquid) to enable composting of organic waste, ensuring safe and productive working conditions.
In parallel with providing the cooperatives with the equipment and infrastructure to facilitate the sorting, recycling and resale of plastic, Gbobètô will support the cooperatives in gradually strengthening their technical and organizational capacities, based on training modules co-developed with the beneficiaries in response to their specific needs. Five modules will be delivered on equipment handling, cash management, business development, price negotiation, and compliance with Quality, Health, Safety, Environment (QHSE) standards. At the same time, Gbobètô will support the cooperative in refining its business model of the recycleries to ensure that the cooperatives can operate in an effective, profitable and sustainable way.
This activity aims to consolidate the role of the "Comptoir du Plastique" as a key plastic waste recovery unit, complementing the national logistics chain in waste management. The objective is to locally transform the collected plastics into shredded plastic flakes, as a clean and recoverable raw material. To this end, several technical equipment will be purchased and installed. In addition, a training on QHSE and a set of personal protective equipment (PPE) will be provided to ensure the safety and well-being of operators and workers of the plastic counter.
Gbobètô Bénin will negotiate the purchase price of the raw plastic from solid household waste with informal collectors to ensure that the latter is paid a fair price at appropriate intervals. Gbobètô will also process the raw material using the equipment acquired (see Activity 2.1) and resell its intermediate products on the local market and in neighboring countries. Based on the Comptoir du Plastique business plan, the aim will be to maximize environmental impact and profits while maintaining attractive socio-economic conditions for the workers.
While the first four activities offer concrete solutions for waste recovery and the creation of green jobs within a circular economy, Gbobètô is aiming for a long-term impact by raising awareness among younger generations, who are capable of driving lasting behavioral change within their communities. This activity therefore aims to strengthen eco-friendly practices among students in 10 public schools through interactive and practical awareness raising sessions. More interestingly, the waste collected in schools will be sorted and recycled in the two established recycling centers and at the Comptoir du Plastique in order to link environmental education with concrete circular economy solutions.
This activity aims to identify 30 young girls (3 per targeted school), who will be selected based on their motivation, knowledge of eco-friendly practices, and awareness of environmental issues. Once selected, these eco-delegates will be coached in public speaking, leadership, and environmental sustainability, as they would be responsible for to hold peer-to-peer awareness sessions to further sensitise their peers in school.