Plastic Bricks

Ivory Coast has a massive waste problem. Every day, over 288,000 kilos of plastic ends up in landfills in poorer communities. Only 5% is sold by young people and women in informal businesses. Unfortunately, this generates far too little income for them. At the same time, 1.6 million children and young people in this West African country are out of school because there aren’t enough school buildings.

With Plastic Bricks, UNICEF ensures that plastic is recycled into building blocks for classrooms, working closely with the local community and government. The ultimate goal is for the program to remain successful without UNICEF!

UNICEF’s program trains young people and women in the collection, safe storage, and processing of plastic waste. They also receive entrepreneurship training. The UNICEF factory purchases the plastic waste from these young people and women at a fair price. The plastic is recycled into plastic building blocks, which are used to build schools. Local children can attend school here and receive a quality education. Education that is perhaps the most important key to a better future for us all.