PLASTIC WASTE

MANAGEMENT IN RWANDA

FIELD VISIT REPORT

December 2021 - January 2022

FIELD VISIT REPORT 1

2 FIELD VISIT REPORT
CONTENTS

1. PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT IN RWANDA 4

1.1. Current plastic waste management 4
1.2. Plastic policy and regulatory frameworks 4

2. POLICY GAPS, CHALLENGES, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLASTIC WASTE 6

2.1. Challenges 6
2.2. Opportunities 6

3. POLICY INTERVENTION: RW21 WASTE TO RESOURCES PROJECT 14

3.1. Project rationale and outline 14
3.2. Expected outcome 14
3.3. Activities related to plastic wastes 14

4. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION 15

FIELD VISIT REPORT 3

1. PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT IN RWANDA

Rwanda is a rapidly urbanizing country experiencing The segregation is not fully committed to practices
major economic transformations and a major of separating biodegradable and non-biodegradable
consequence of urbanization which is also linked (Rajashekar, 2019). In 2008, a system of segregating
with increasing volumes of municipal solid waste. waste was introduced, but it failed. The level of
Because of their light weights, plastics are widely recycling waste is still unpopular. According to (the
used in different areas, hence more waste is found Office of the Auditor General of State, 2016), the
in various areas including residential, commercial official waste recycling rate for the City of Kigali
(shops, offices, markets, restaurants, bars), industrial is only at 2%. Since then, the City of Kigali has
(small and agro-processing), street sweepings, and noted poor solid waste management practices as
health care. This chapter will present the current a key impediment to sustainable development.
status of plastic waste generation and municipal There is a strong need to revolutionize the solid
solid waste in Kigali City in general, as well as waste waste management system. In the City of Kigali,
collection, transport, treatment, and disposal. The approximately 232,870 tons of municipal solid
chapter will also introduce the enabling environment waste is generated per year.
for waste management in Rwanda.
Plastic wastes are easily littered in the environment
1.1. Current plastic waste and can lead to environmental pollution in several
ways, including environmental deterioration,
management entanglement, and death of aquatic organisms,
sewage system blockage in towns and cities
Overall, waste generated by households and especially in developing countries, reduction in
commercial entities is collected and disposed of water percolation, and normal agricultural soils
at the Nduba landfill site without going through aeration thus causing reduced productivity in such
any segregation. Among the wastes compiled lands. Microplastics are major contaminants that
at the Nduba landfill, 70% are organic wastes, can bioaccumulate in the food chain after ingestion
approximately 13% are non-recyclable, 5% are by a wide range of freshwater and marine lives,
plastic (including plastic bottles), around 5% are thereby leading to a public health risk.
cartons, 1% are metals, 1% are electronic wastes,
and the rest 1% are hazardous wastes. Plastic wastes Human consumption of animals that were exposed
contain plates, straws, stirrers, balloons, and sticks to microplastics and plastic additives can be
for balloons, food containers, cups for beverages, detrimental. Bio-monitoring studies on human
beverage containers, packets and wrappers, wet tissues have shown that plastic constituents persist
wipes, and sanitary items. in the human population through the measurement
of environmental contaminants. Plastic additives
The collected wastes are rarely segregated at in the human body cause many diseases including
the Nduba landfill without formal recycling of estrogen mimics, ovarian disorder, thyroid hormone
non-biodegradable wastes and reprocessing of interference, possible neurological and reproductive
biodegradable waste. The market for recyclables damage, carcinogen, and testosterone interference,
and reprocessed wastes is also nascent, with little etc.
wastes being reprocessed and returned to the
material cycle. Waste collection is entirely privatized. 1.2. Plastic policy and regulatory
Currently, 14 waste companies deal with Municipal
frameworks
Solid Wastes (MSW) collection and transportation
in the three districts of the City of Kigali and Current policy, laws, and regulations banning the
dump them to the Nduba landfill which is an open use of plastic products have attempted to mitigate
dumpsite managed by the City of Kigali. the negative effects of plastic pollution. The
Segregation of wastes at source is still a big enabling environment provides policies, strategies,
challenge for the waste management system in the laws, ministerial orders, and regulations for plastic
local community. waste management.

4 FIELD VISIT REPORT

The Government of Rwanda established the
National Environmental Policy in 2003, which was In this regard, the Rwanda Environment Management
reviewed in 2018, to add policies related to climate Authority (REMA) has elaborated guidelines on
change. The new policy has actions related to procedures and conditions of eligibility to grant
waste management within the policy objective 5: exceptional permission to manufacture, use, and
Improving environmental well-being for Rwandan import or sell single-use plastic items or park goods
and the policy statement number 2: Prevent and in single-use plastics (REMA, 2019).
promote integrated pollution control and waste
management. According to these guidelines, the
application related to the plastic material
Promote the use of economic incentives to for packaging purposes is eligible if all
manage waste. conditions below are met: The product must
be produced in Rwanda.
Promote the establishment of facilities and
incentives for cleaner production, waste The product must have no alternative to
recovery, recycling, and reuse (Reduce- plastics as packaging material on the local or
Recycle” 3Rs “) countrywide. international market

Develop a profile of all categories of waste in The lack of packaging material should have a
Rwanda. direct and negative impact on the quality of
the product.
The current policy values waste and encourages
the transformation of waste into other materials. The application related to single-use plastic items is
In response to the growing number of problems acceptable for items exclusively meant for medical
concerning plastic pollution, the Government of use; agriculture and forestry use; waste collection
Rwanda introduced a ban on plastic bags in 2008. and sanitation use; use in the construction industry;
The law was reviewed in 2019 and included the industrial use and use in printing houses.
ban of single-use plastics. The law is related to the
prohibition of manufacturing, importation, use, The Government of Rwanda designated two entities
and sale of plastic carry bags and single-use plastic for plastic waste management: Rwanda Environment
items in Rwanda 2019. Management Authority (REMA) and National Fund
for Environment in Rwanda (FONERWA). The two
The Law No17/2019 of 10th August 2019, relating Institutions, among others, are governing waste
to the prohibition of manufacturing, importation, management in Rwanda and draw most of their
use, and sale of plastic carry bags and single- authority from the Environmental Law.
use plastic items in Rwanda was established
(RoR, 2019). This law stipulates the definition of
its purpose; prohibition and control; collection, REMA established the laws and regulations on
recycling, and inspection. The law also defines the plastic items and FONERWA helps in implementing
administrative sanctions and provides transitional the polluter-pays principle and in collecting fines
and final provisions. from illegal use of plastic items that are tracked in
the FONERWA account.
In some rare cases, the law regulates that the
manufacturing, importation, use, or sale of home There are other Institutions such as Rwanda Utility
compostable plastic items or woven polypropylene Regulatory Agency (RURA), which provides licenses
is allowed, subject to prior authorization from the to waste collection companies and fix fees related
competent authority. And imported goods packaged to waste collection. The City of Kigali also provides
in plastic material or single-use plastic items are guidelines on managing waste at the household
subject to an environmental levy in accordance with level and managing the landfill.
relevant laws.

FIELD VISIT REPORT 5

2. POLICY GAPS, CHALLENGES, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR
PLASTIC WASTE

This chapter discusses challenges and opportunities The waste composition statistics currently available
for plastic waste management practice in Rwanda. in Kigali or Rwanda are projections based on
Particularly, opportunities include the summary of what is typically found in a low-income nation
the site visits to plastic waste recycling companies (Kabera, 2019:3). This lack of data seriously limits
in Rwanda to introduce the best practices from the potential for project interventions because it
a private sector, as well as the potential project hinders comprehensive planning in the initial stage,
intervention area that can further facilitate the whereby baseline data and future performance
private sector engagement in terms of the plastic cannot be thoroughly identified. Furthermore,
waste management sector. without accurate data in the system, waste
management authorities are not able to enhance
2.1. Challenges transparency in waste management.

This is because the proper collection of either data

2.1.1. Behavioral Change at the or information with regard to monitoring the waste
Household Level for Waste Sorting amounts and types can provide relevant authorities
with greater access and control over how much each
individual or private entity is responsible for waste
Waste sorting is still a challenge at household level.
generation, thereby establishing an impartial levy
Most households do not sort waste due to various
system. This sort of levy system is quintessential for
reasons.
securing financial resources for managing wastes
and inducing people’s voluntary participation, as
First of all, communities are not aware about
well as reducing the waste generation at source.
sustainable waste management practices.

Another reason, waste collection companies are 2.1.3. Financing for Waste Management
not commending the households to sort waste
as organic and inorganic before the collection While financing for business-as-usual waste
company comes to collect the waste, meaning management practices has typically required
that the final destination which is the dumpsite funding from municipalities as well as revenue
receives all mixed waste without segregation. determined by the fee structure for waste
collection services, the circular economy model
Currently in Rwanda, collection companies enables the extraction of resources to increase
collect both organic and inorganic waste on the the profitability and sustainability of the sector.
same day, they collect waste on different dates, Financing where willingness-to-pay is low is also a
one day for organic waste and another day for challenge that requires additional processing and
inorganic waste. resource extraction (e.g., urban mining for e-waste)
to increase the sustainability of waste collection
There is a need to increase awareness on services.
Sustainable waste management and introduce
circular economy approaches in the waste value 2.2. Opportunities
chain, to recycle waste and minimize waste
going to the dumpsite.
2.2.1. Practice of Private Sector in Plastic
2.1.2. Acquiring Accurate Data for Waste Recycling Companies (Case Study)
Generation and Treatment
The GGGI Rwanda Team conducted site visits to
Although there are a number of studies or the wastes recycling companies in Kigali and Huye
assessment reports on waste management strategy district in order to understand the current practice
at the municipal or sub-national level in Rwanda, and identify management gaps. The site visits
no precise data on waste composition could be also aimed to identify potential areas for green
located. investment mobilization in the waste sector and
raise awareness on circular economy approaches
to private companies working in the waste sector.

6 FIELD VISIT REPORT

Moreover, building networks with those engaged in the waste recycling sector is one of the primary purposes
of this site visit. The project team visited three plastic wastes recycling companies in Kigali on December 9th,
2021, and two facilities in the Huye district between January 26th – 27th, 2022. The field visit was guided by
the site engineers or factory managers of each company, with a detailed explanation with regard to the overall
recycling procedure and the manufacturing of final products. Followings are summaries of the site visits and
attendees are elaborated in [Table 1].

Table 1. Site Visit Attendees from GGGI

Michelle Defreese Senior Officer, Green Growth

Juvenal Mukurarinda Senior Officer, Sustainable Waste Management
Ange Irutingabo Intern, Sustainable Waste Management
Grace Ingabire Intern, Sustainable Waste Management
Sunghwan Park Korea-Africa Foundation (KAF) Young Professional

Table 2. Visited sites

Site Location Contact Date

1. Mageragere Incinerator Nyarugenge District Pascal Gatete 09/12/2021
2. EcoPlastic Nyarugenge District Pascal Gatete 09/12/2021
(Plastic waste recycling)
3. Jardin Meuble Kicukiro District Wenceslas Habamungu 09/01/2021
4. Agroplast Kicukiro District Ndulu 09/01/2021
5. Ba Heza General Services Kicukiro District Therese Uwimana 19/01/2022
6. Electromax Huye District 26-27/01/2022
7. Waste collection company Huye District 26-27/01/2022
8. E-waste collection center Huye District 26-27/01/2022
9. GreenCare Rwanda Huye District Noel Nizeyimana 26-27/01/2022
(organic waste composting)

1. Mageragere Incinerator

Figure 1. Mageragere Incinerator

FIELD VISIT REPORT 7

Mageragere Incinerator was originally
built as a government-owned bio-medical
incinerator and was in the end privatized to
a private company. It is now owned by Depot
Kalisimbi, a company specialized in disposing
of bio-medical wastes. The company is also
venturing into the recycling of plastic wastes
collected by themselves from the Nduba
dumping site. The company had produced
hexagonal roadblocks and pavers from plastic
wastes mixed proportionally with sand. The
production process starts with heating the
plastic wastes at more than 400 oC in order
to liquefy them. The liquid plastic wastes are
then mixed with sand to be pressured into a
hexagonal shape and go through a cooling
process to be used in the road construction Figure 2. Hexagonal Paver
or pavement.

If the plastic wastes are bulky,

e.g., computer, fridge, etc., the
pulverization process is added
before entering the heating
procedure. The more the sand is
mixed, the rougher the product’s
surface becomes. The site engineer
also showed the ongoing activities
to construct a state-of-the-art
industry for plastic waste and it
was reported that the factory will
be operational early next year.
However, the attendees were not
able to witness the block-making
Figure 3. Road made with recycled plastic wastes process and the guide didn’t know
how much it costs to produce one.

2. ECO Plastic

Created in 2011, ECO Plastic is one of Rwanda’s leading companies in plastic recycling and the production of
new plastic products. The company receives used plastic from a number of suppliers, including waste collection
companies, individuals, airports, and hospitals. After sorting out, cleaning, and drying the used plastics, the
plastic wastes go through a recycling
process and become raw materials, with
which new plastic products are produced
for numerous purposes, e.g., tubing for
agriculture, roofing plastic for construction,
plastic bags, rubbish bags, etc.

Approximately ten tons of plastic waste

are coming in each month and most of the
plastic wastes are from commercial areas,
hospitals, and beverage companies such
as Blarirwa. The recycling process starts
with classifying the plastic wastes, followed
Figure 4. ECO Plastic
by the cleaning process as presented in
[Figure 5].

8 FIELD VISIT REPORT

 The water they use for cleaning is
usually provided by WASAC, which
results in a huge amount of water fee.
The wastewater is released into nature
without undergoing any treatment
procedure. The cleaned plastic wastes
are sun-dried and then pulverized into
tiny bits as in [Figure 6] and [Figure 7].
These tiny bits go through a heating
process and are made into noodle-like
strings. These strings are cooled in water
as in [Figure 8] and then pulverized
into tiny bits again. These bits are the
raw materials [Figure 9] for producing a
plastic product.
Figure 5. The cleaning process for the classified plastic wastes

Figure 6. Drying the plastic wastes Figure 7. Pulverized plastic wastes

The raw materials go through the

shaping process by exerting heat,
which makes them elastic like a rubber
band as suggested in [Figure 10].
Certain color additives are added in
the process depending on the usage
of the final product.

For the quality of the final product,

imported raw materials are used along
with the raw material made from
recycled plastics when manufacturing
the final products.

Figure 8. Plastic strings made from pulverized plastic bits

FIELD VISIT REPORT 9

Figure 9. The raw material is made by pulverizing the plastic strings

Figure 11. Final products Figure 10. Shaping

Collection → Classification → Cleaning → Drying → Pulverizing ①

→

Pulverizing ② Making plastic strings

Final products Shaping
→ → →
(raw material) out of pulverized bits

Figure 12. Recycling Process of ECO Plastic

10 FIELD VISIT REPORT

 3. Agroplast
Agroplast also receives plastic wastes
from diverse sources, including the Nduba
landfill site. The process is almost similar
to other recycling factories, i.e., collection,
classification, cleaning, sun-drying,
pulverizing, and heating to make the final
product. As its name implies, Agroplast is a
plastic waste recycling company specialized in
producing plastics for agricultural use. When
it comes to the circular economy aspect, the
company promotes the continuous recycling
process, whereby recycled plastic items can
go through a series of recycling processes
once they are used and brought back to the
company.

The workers in the factory are trained by

the USAID program and what’s noteworthy
about the recycling process is that the
company uses rainwater as much as possible
when cleaning the plastic wastes in order
to prevent excessive water consumption
and utility fee [Figure 12]. Although the
company uses water from WASAC, it is only
during the dry season when there is not
enough rain. The contaminated water from
the cleaning process goes through a special
treatment procedure to be reused again for
Figure 13. Cleaning stand with waste filtration facility
the cleaning process later.

FIELD VISIT REPORT 11

 Collection → Classification

→
Cleaning

→
Pulverizing

→
Final products Shaping
→

Figure 14. Shaping Collection Figure 15. The recycling process of Agroplast

The company also has a very

ambitious plan for producing
a building block using plastic
wastes, as is presented in
[Figure 16]. This can be used
for decorating a shower room or
kitchen area, where there is a lot
of usage of water.

However, the company appealed

for additional help in terms of
technology transfer and financial
assistance to be able to mass-
produce the products for market
purposes. Figure 16. Sample of a building block made from plastic wastes

4. Greencare Rwanda

Greencare Rwanda Ltd., located in Huye District, is a 2.2.2. Site visit observation
company specialized in waste management services
(e.g., waste collection and valorization, etc.) and organic Most of the companies visited
fertilizers production. It was co-founded by young this time are equipped with
entrepreneurs as of 2015 and officially registered in proper capacity & machinery
and network with the waste-
2016 by Rwanda Development Board.
collecting entities.

The company collects all sorts of wastes from each However, there are a few points
household and industrial facility in Huye District, as well that need to be reinforced or
as nearby neighborhoods, but the most prevalent type complemented to establish a fully
of waste is organic waste, which accounts for more than sustainable waste management
practice.
65% of what they collect.

12 FIELD VISIT REPORT

1. Lack of Integrated Value Chain in Collection Based on the observation from the field visit, the
and Delivery of Plastic Wastes following measures can be suggested to the GGGI
Rwanda office to further strengthen the ecosystem
The majority of the companies purchase plastic of sustainable waste management practice in Kigali.
wastes from various sources, such as individuals,
local cooperatives, and private collection companies, 1. Knowledge-Sharing & Capacity Building
etc. Therefore, the quality of the plastic wastes (the Workshop
degree to which how dirty the wastes are) varies
too much, increasing the operational burden of Most companies followed the safety and health
wastes classification and cleaning. This is because measures in terms of the plastic wastes recycling
the separation process is currently absent in the process but there are still some knowledge gaps to
Nduba landfill site, which is the most common and be complemented in certain areas so as to ensure
biggest source of plastic wastes in Kigali, thereby better environmental sustainability. For example,
creating a complex and decentralized collection in the case of Eco Plastic, the wastewater used for
& delivery network. The dirtier the plastic wastes, cleaning the plastic wastes is released into nature
the more expensive the cleaning becomes to make without undergoing any physical or chemical
them appropriate for recycling. Therefore, the filtration. In this respect, sharing ideas and practices
companies should always receive clean wastes from other companies and exchanging a site visit
without significant irregularities in terms of quality would be advantageous to the existing companies.
to reduce the production cost. This will eventually Furthermore, safety and health measures for
affect the marketability of recycled products against PM2.5 levels and GHG emission monitoring can
normally produced plastics. be reinforced through a series of capacity-building
workshops, as well as technical and financial
2. Occupational Health and Safety Issues and, assistance.
Pollution at Factory Areas
2. Waste Separation Center at the Nduba
Some workers were not wearing a mask or glove Landfill Site
when dealing with the plastic wastes. This is highly
dangerous for the health of workers. Therefore,
Being the largest source of plastic wastes for
periodical training about personal safety and health
recycling companies, it seems necessary to
measures should be put in place. Furthermore, Eco
establish a separation facility in the Nduba landfill
Plastics is not implementing any treatment process
site to simplify the flow of plastic wastes. This can
when releasing the wastewater used for cleaning
be achieved through the ongoing RW21 waste to
the plastic wastes.
resources project, which will conduct separation
and valorization of organic and plastic waste
This poses serious environmental risks around
to minimize waste landfilled. Additionally, it is
the natural landscape, as well as undermines the
recommended to create an online platform where
sustainability of the plastic recycling process itself.
verified stakeholders share the current status of
Additionally, the water used for cleaning requires a
huge amount to fully operate the facility, increasing recyclables they have, through which recycling
the overall cost of the recycling process. Thus, industries find it much easier to establish a more
coming up with ideas concerning sustainable and wide-ranging recycling network and steady supply
efficient water use (e.g., reusing treated wastewater) chain of plastic wastes.
for the cleaning process is highly recommended.
3. Strengthening of Institutional Regulatory
3. Lack of consideration for Greenhouse Gas Framework Against Plastic Wastes Recycling
(GHG) emission and air pollution Companies

It is also important to take into account GHG emission Since there are a number of waste recycling
factors when operating a facility in order to abide by companies that are already in operation, GGGI
the NDC and SDG 2030 Agenda. However, none Rwanda may work with relevant regulatory
of the facilities tracked records of GHG emissions authorities (e.g., REMA) to draft a guideline for waste
from their operation. Also, PM2.5 released during recycling companies. The guideline shall include
the pulverizing process is not tracked and duly the operational framework to confirm whether a
managed, causing a potential respiratory disease of company follows a strict environmental and social
those who work for this process. Installation of an standard in their business operation to ensure an
air filter or the supply of a PM 2.5-resistant mask to environmentally sustainable recycling mechanism.
workers is highly recommended.

FIELD VISIT REPORT 13

3. POLICY INTERVENTION: RW21 Waste to Resources Project

This chapter will introduce the current project in strategy to increase the amount of waste being
the GGGI Rwanda Country Program concerning sorted at sources at both households and high-
sustainable waste management & the waste occupancy buildings.
valorization sector funded by the Government of Capacity building and knowledge sharing are also
Luxembourg. This project serves relevant to the incorporated into the project to improve the ability
current situation of waste management in Rwanda of actors within the waste sector to adopt circular
as it deals with some urgent matters in waste economy practices based on best practices in the
separation and valorization. region and in Luxembourg. The project combines
equipment with awareness, capacity building, and
3.1. Project Rationale and Outline investment mobilization as an initial investment in
the skills, infrastructure, and behavior foundational
to the adoption of circular economy waste
The Government of Rwanda through the Ministry management practices.
of Environment embarked on a collaborative
agreement with the Government of Luxembourg
to develop a project to improve sustainable waste 3.3. Activities Related to Plastic
management practices in Rwanda. The cooperation Wastes
between the two governments was facilitated by
GGGI as the implementation partner for the project. GGGI Rwanda, through the Waste to Resources
Project, planned activities related to increasing
As an intergovernmental, international organization, awareness on sustainable waste management,
GGGI serves as a neutral advisor to host proper sorting of solid wastes including organic
governments, identifying best practices and lessons wastes, plastic wastes, medical and hazardous
learned from its network of partners in the area of wastes, effective transportation, effective disposal
green growth. The project aims to improve municipal of wastes, and encouraging the private sector to
solid waste and hazardous waste management, with invest in circular economic approaches such as
interventions designed to increase the amount of recycling, reusing and recovery.
organic and plastic waste being processed through
circular economy practices. The project also aims to The project is also planning to upgrade Nduba
increase the amount of e-waste being collected in Landfill and install facilities that will help in sorting
Rwanda’s Six secondary cities and in the capital city, waste. To reduce the amount of waste dumped at
Kigali. the Nduba landfill and the cost of cleaning wastes
before undertaking the process of recycling,
3.2. Expected Outcome promoting the sorting of waste at the source point
would bring a sustainable solution. Against this
The Waste to Resources Project has two primary backdrop, the waste to Resource project wishes to
impact-level anticipated outcomes. These include establish an online circular economy marketplace,
the reduction of GHG emissions and green with an aim to track plastic wastes which can be
investment mobilized with a target of 20M EUR. used as raw materials to industries and companies.

The project includes interventions designed to The circular economy website will be created to
increase the amount of organic waste and the facilitate those who have plastic waste to make
plastic waste being processed over three years online requests for collection and facilitate recycling
through the addition of sorting and separation companies to know where to collect those plastic
equipment at the City of Kigali’s dumpsite called wastes as raw materials. The platform will play a
Nduba. The project also aims to employ a public key role in linking producers of plastic waste and
awareness and behavior change communication investors in recycling plastic waste.

14 FIELD VISIT REPORT

4. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION

The site visits conducted to all recycling companies Recycling companies have low capacity to treat all
and waste collection companies gave a picture of plastic waste collected at their facilities. This is a
plastic waste management in Rwanda. 9 sites were problem but can be a potential area for green
visited including Mageragere Incinerator, EcoPlastic investment in the waste sector.
(Plastic waste recycling), Jardin Meuble, Agroplast,
Ba Heza General Services, Electromax, Waste Some recycling companies such as Agroplast, Depot
collection company Huye, E-waste collection center, Kalisimbi and Greencare Ltd have started to make
GreenCare Rwanda (organic waste composting). plastic pavers from plastic waste. This is a good
Following are proposed solutions based on the solution of turning plastic waste into other useful
gaps identified during site visit. materials, however, the way it is done causes a lot
of pollution. There is a need of conducting a study
It was observed that plastic waste collected to to know how this could be done properly without
recycling facilities most of the time are in bad open burning and causing air pollution.
quality, mixed with organic waste and this affects
the quality of recyclable materials. There is a need To conclude, plastic waste management in Rwanda
to separate waste at source point so that recycling is still at a low level and there is a need to develop
companies that need plastic waste as raw materials laws supporting recycling processes and develop
should get them in good quality without being extended producers’ responsibilities guidelines to
mixed with other waste or requiring a lot of water support efficient collection of plastic waste and
for washing. recycling.

Another observation, recycling companies do not Also, awareness is very needed to make people
have sufficient equipment such as machines to understand that waste can be used as resources
recycle all tons of plastic waste collected in their and learn to sort waste properly as a key point
yards, a small percentage of plastic waste is treated, to promote circular economy approaches such as
and a big percentage remains without being treated. reuse, recycle and recovery.

FIELD VISIT REPORT 15

 19F Jeongdong Building, 21-15, Jeongdong-gil,
Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea 04518

www.GGGI.org

16 FIELD VISIT REPORT