Project Description:

The cities of Yaoundé and Douala in Cameroon have experienced rapid population growth due to an influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) caused by the Anglophone crisis. This surge in population has led to a significant increase in municipal waste, particularly plastic bottles. The sole waste management company, HYSACAM, struggles to keep up with the rising demand, resulting in plastic waste clogging gutters, littering streets, and polluting water bodies—posing serious threats to both wildlife and human health.

In response to this environmental challenge, we launched the Clean Sweep project—a climate-smart initiative that tackles plastic pollution by transforming discarded plastic bottles into useful household items like brooms. This project not only addresses waste management but also creates economic opportunities for vulnerable groups, including IDPs and youth.

Project Goal

Through the clean sweep from bottles to brooms project, we aim to meet the following objectives:

• Reduce plastic pollution, hence boosting environmental protection
• Provide youths and internally displaced persons with a source of income
• Boost the creative thinking of youths, toward working in the domain of sustainability

Project Outcome

• Over 25 women and youths have been trained in broom production using plastic bottles
• Carried cleanup campaigns in Yaounde
• Carried market survey to assess the value of the brooms produced
• 5 youths have become full advocates for climate change in schools

Call to Action

After the pilot phase of the Clean Sweep from Bottles to Brooms project in 2024, we have had the opportunity to scale the project even more, by incorporating bottle fishing and clean-up campaigns before our workshops. We are confident that with your help, we will be able to scale this project even further by integrating more aspects of bottle recycling into the project thereby helping more youth, women and internally displaced persons become ecopreneurs. Your donation makes all the difference.