UNICEF helps Côte d'Ivoire produce recycled plastic bricks to build schools

On July 29, UNICEF announced that it has broken ground on the first plant in Côte d’Ivoire to convert plastic waste into modular plastic bricks, which it has built in partnership with Colombian social enterprise Conceptos Plastic.

Fore, executive director of UNICEF, said the factory will bring smart, scalable solutions to some of the key educational challenges facing children and communities in Afri.

Côte d'Ivoire needs 15,000 classrooms to meet the needs of out-of-school childr.

One of the main challenges facing Ivorian schoolchildren is the lack of classrooms, said Aboubacar Kampo, the UN representative in Côte d'Ivoi.

Abidjan produces more than 280 tons of plastic waste every day, of which only about 5% is recycled, with most of the rest ending up in landfills in low-income communiti.

Once fully operational, the plant will recycle 9,600 tonnes of plastic waste a year and provide a source of income for underprivileged women in the formal recycling mark.

Plastic Ideas has built nine classrooms in Colombia out of plastic bricks, demonstrating the viability of its construction methods and materia.

Made of 100% plastic, bricks are fire resistant, 40% cheaper than traditional building materials, 20% lighter, and last for hundreds of yea.

In addition to investing in the plant in Côte d’Ivoire, UNICEF plans to expand the project to other countries in the region, as West and Central Africa accounts for one-third of the world’s out-of-school children in primary school and lower secondary school-age out-of-school childr.