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Stopover in Suriname, meeting with the country’s only recycler

The Plastic Odyssey stopped over in Suriname for 1 day! But this short stop nevertheless enabled us to understand the issues at stake in this small South American country, and to meet Glenn Ramdjan, the country’s only recycler.

Suriname’s only recycling center

Glenn mainly recycles PET bottles, about 10% of what is produced in the country, a remarkable effort given the absence of any large-scale recycling structure. This waste is compacted into bales and exported to Europe.

It also transforms plastic film into garbage can liners using several blow-molding extruders, and plans to recycle cardboard into plates.

A bold initiative to collect waste in Suriname

To facilitate the collection of recyclable waste, Glenn has installed 140 sorting garbage cans throughout the country. It’s a bold initiative in a country where the population is still largely unaware of waste management issues. Glenn encounters many challenges, such as the inappropriate deposit of non-recyclable waste, including dead animals, in the sorting garbage cans.

Littering, a real scourge for ecosystems and safety

The stopover also highlighted the problem of littering, which is widespread in Suriname. In the capital, the situation is particularly worrying: plastic clogs the sewers, turning the streets into rivers when it rains.



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