Our Impact
Youth & Women Empowerment
About 70% (4.8 million people) of the youth, including women, in Sierra Leone, are unemployed and underemployed due to limited opportunities and inadequate skills to meet the workforce demand. The majority of these youths are those living in underserved communities, such as Kroo Bay, Cockle Bay, Thompson Bay, and Susan’s Bay, amongst many others. As a youth-led recycling initiative, the Route 360 Solutions Initiative has empowered over 100 marginalized youth and women with waste management training, including waste collection and recycling skills. Thanks to our recycling educators for making this possible.
Plastic Pollution Elimination
Over 96,000 metric tons of plastic waste are generated in Sierra Leone annually, with less than 5% (4,800 metric tons) being recycled, while the rest (about 91,200 metric tons) leaks into the streets, landfills, waterways, and the ocean, causing flooding, marine pollution, and methane and CO2 emissions, affecting those living in vulnerable communities like slums, coastal areas, and environments along waterways and around landfills. Since the beginning of our operation, we have collected and recycled over 100 tons of single-use plastic waste, thereby preventing leakage into Sierra Leone’s streets, landfills, waterways, and oceans.
CO2 Emissions Reduction
Waste accounts for approximately 1.4% (96,180 metric tons) of the 6.87 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) that Sierra Leone contributed to global greenhouse gas emissions in 2021, largely due to the country’s poor waste management and recycling infrastructure, which has been inadequate for several years, despite the continuous threats of climate change to individuals and communities. In our capacity, we have recycled over 120 tons of single-use plastic waste into ecobricks for use in outdoor pavement, eliminating 348 kilograms of CO2e. Thanks to our dedicated team in the collection and recycling value chain.