Live
Give
Store
Meeting with Moroccan entrepreneurs in plastic waste recycling
From collection to furniture manufacturing, including street collectors support and granule production, the participants in this session have different profiles and all act at a different stage of the plastic waste valorization chain. Rich discussions emerged from their feedback and experiences.
We notably addressed the problem of waste capture at the source, the barrier that the informal sector represents for the good development of global waste management in the territory, as well as exchanged on the different Low Tech technologies developed by the Plastic Odyssey team.
Presentation of the entrepreneurs
Reda Kadmiri et Saïd Benhamida, Mika
Said and Reda are creative and ingenious entrepreneurs wishing to put their expertise to work in the fight against plastic pollution in southern Morocco.
They founded Mika in 2020 to be agents of change in this world in crisis. They work with local associations, including the camel drivers’ association in Essaouira, to collect waste on the beaches of the southern part of the country and transform it into design furniture with a social and environmental commitment in their lab, which is currently being established.
Nadir Sinaceur, The Circularium
Nadir Sinaceur is an entrepreneur passionate about environmental protection and leads numerous Clean Up actions throughout Morocco. Eager to combine innovation and circular economy, he launched Le Circularium with 2 collaborators in 2019.
He aims to create a resource center for waste valorization in the city of Skhirat. As a participant in the Recycling Academy and then the OnBoard Laboratory, and wishing to establish a strong connection with the Plastic Odyssey community, Nadir embodies Plastic Odyssey’s ambition: to train, accelerate, and support over the long term project leaders around plastic recycling.
Julien Noyer, Altecplast
Julien Noyer is a French entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in plastic recycling. In 2015, he founded the company Altecplast to recycle plastics into secondary raw materials in Casablanca.
Particularly concerned about the social and environmental issues in Morocco, he continuously improves his circular economy model to ensure that no material from his process ends up in a landfill and pursues a policy of social inclusion within his company.
We also had the privilege of welcoming Wafaa Saber, Ibtissam Abatorab, Aicha Ait Madi, Noureddine Belkarfa, and Hamid Daoui from Altecplast, who shared their expertise in plastic recycling with us.
Mustapha Boussetta, JETM
Mustapha is an experienced entrepreneur and a knowledgeable expert on the issue of plastic pollution in Morocco.
He is the president of the JETM association. He provides support to itinerant waste collectors and aims to organize, institutionalize, and modernize their activity to improve their income.
Mohamed Elouartassi, EMB Pro
Mohamed Elouartassi is an entrepreneur involved in building Morocco’s industry of tomorrow. Based in Larrache, he runs the company EMB Pro.
Among many activities, EMB Pro collects and transports industrial, hotel, and household waste. Mohamed is now interested in Low Tech solutions to develop his plastic recycling project.
Asad Chafi, Reborn
Asad Chafi is a student from Tanger at ENCGT. Particularly concerned about the environmental and social issues of his generation, he set up the Reborn project with his team of JLM (Young Moroccan Leaders).
The Reborn project is set to launch soon to contribute to improving the working conditions of street collectors and better capturing plastic waste for local valorization.
Belajh Chaibi, UCAR and FCTVDM
Belhaj plays a central role in waste management in the Tangier region. He is the president of the Moroccan Federation of Recyclers, in charge of 9 cooperatives in Morocco.
This federation aims to supervise the activity of collectors and ensure environmental protection. After sorting the plastic materials, they are compacted for shipment to other local recycling companies.
Adil Boujaber, Zéro PET au café
Adil is an entrepreneur from Tangier. After observing the overconsumption of small plastic bottles in the cafes and restaurants of the city, he started his business: Zero PET au café.
Adil organizes waste collection at the source in partnership with restaurants and cafes so that they can be recycled by local companies.
Thanks to INJAZ, a non-profit organization that provides entrepreneurship training in the Arab world and is a partner of the stopover, we had the opportunity to benefit from four interventions by experts from Dar al Moukawil (the entrepreneur’s house). They provided us with solid content around key project management concepts.
This intense week allowed for strong bonds to be forged between Moroccan entrepreneurs and various local stakeholders, as well as with the Plastic Odyssey team. This great dynamic will add strength to our community of project holders and innovators in the field of plastic recycling.
OnBoard Laboratory, incubation programme for plastic recycling projects
At each stop of the expedition, the Plastic Odyssey vessel welcomes several local recycling entrepreneurs on board to develop concrete and effective solutions to fight against plastic pollution.