With support from Kjell Inge Røkke, this innovative project has a circular economy approach that aims to eliminate plastic pollution while simultaneously creating new jobs. A true win-win situation.
Accra, the capital of Ghana is the first area of focus for the Plastic REVolution Foundation.
– Half of the plastic in Ghana ends up in landfills along with other garbage. The other half ends up on the streets, on the beaches and in nature, says REV Ocean CEO Nina Jensen.
The project has already started and we have completed several activities, including a feasibility study that will continue at least until the end of this year, but there is still a long way to go.
Former SV leader (The Socialist Left Party in Norway) and UN Environment Executive Director Erik Solheim has been tapped to lead this innovative foundation and build a project team with top internal competency.
– One of the main problems is that plastic clogs up rivers and leads to sewage buildup and flooding, which then results in people becoming ill and dying. We intend to set up systems that allow us to collect this plastic and also hire locals who will help pick garbage and deliver it to us. We hope to create many jobs, says Solheim.
– We start in Ghana because the country is struggling with plastic litter – and because President Nana Akufo-Addo has ambitions for the capital Accra to become the cleanest city in Africa, Jensen says.
Ultimately Plastic REVolution plans to create such facilities in countries all over the world, wherever the need and opportunities are greatest. This is a global problem, and the initiative expects to bring in more partners and scale up over the coming years.
