Ghana : Building roads from recycled plastic

Accra residents regularly complain about dirt in the streets of the Ghanaian capital, where mounds of garbage overflow the sewers. But a young engineer had the idea of recycling all this plastic by making paving stones for road construction.

Nelson Boateng started from a simple observation: Ghana produces 22,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year, of which only 2% is recycled, according to the government.

« Everything else ends up in landfills and it costs the government dearly, » or worse, on the streets, says the young general manager of Nelplast Ghana Ltd, founded last year.

The asphalt his company produces from crushed plastic (70%) and sand (30%) « proves stronger than the concrete blocks » usually used to make sidewalks or pave roads.

Recycled plastic pavers are sold for one dollar each, compared to $1.50 for their concrete counterparts.

Almost all types of plastics can be used, including plastic bags, which have been the subject of heated debate for several months in the small West African country, as to whether or not to ban their use.

Nelplast Ghana Ltd is still in the test phase, with limited production capacity due to lack of sufficient equipment. « For the moment we are able to produce 200 blocks a day from 2 tons of raw material », the head of operations at the plant.

Engineer Nelson Boateng hopes to receive more support from Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, which has already used its paving stones in a district of the capital recently. And why not, win important public works contracts.