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Stopover in Suriname, meeting with 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.