Project type                                                                                      Waste management

Promoter

COOP-VERD launched a pilot project in the city of Nabeul in order to promote recycling and green employment and to improve the working conditions of informal waste collectors (chiffonniers).

In the framework of the project, 48 containers for the separate collection of plastic bottles were placed in 3 neighbourhoods and a public Eco-Point was created. This was made available to the ETE+ Association for the collection, storage and manipulation of plastic bottles in the city centre in order to facilitate the work of the chiffonniers.

The Eco-Point improves the income and the working conditions of chiffoniers by reducing distance, avoiding intermediaries and taking into consideration the social criteria of the beneficiaries of the centre.

The collectors that participate in the project have received medical and social coverage and training on the risks related to their work, and are now working in appropriate hygienic conditions, benefiting from adequate uniforms and vaccination campaigns. In order to give added value to the plastic collected and thus improve the revenue of this activity, the green point was provided with a pressing machine to transform the plastic.

In parallel, COOP-VERD has launched a communication campaign targeting the residents of the pilot area in order to encourage the separation and recycling at source, as well as a participatory process for the installation of recycling points for plastic in other neighbourhoods.

• Separate plastic waste collection system in 3 districts of Nabeul.
• 48 plastic collection containers installed in the city.
• 1 Eco-Point created for the transfer, pressing and storage of the collected plastic.
• 18 tons of plastic recovered during the first 4 months of operation of the Eco-Point.
• Improvement of the socio-economic and health and safety conditions of around 40 informal collectors through vaccination campaigns, training in health and safety at work, and provision of adequate equipment.
• Wider recognition of informal collectors by citizens resulting from the more visible value of the work and its environmentally friendly character.
• The establishment of a new recycling culture in the city of Nabeul, which transcends the neighborhoods directly involved in the project, and includes schools and some large generators of waste.