Projects aim to create behavioural change by educating people, businesses and community leaders about plastics pollution. Meanwhile, community programmes engage local people in tackling the problem.

“Preserving rivers is crucial to maintaining sustainable ecosystems. Targeting rivers can reduce the staggering estimated statistic that up to12.7 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean annually, “ Molly Morse, a project scientist with the Benioff Ocean Initiative, said in an interview with The Bottom Line.

A conveyor belt on the Athi River – Kenya

Startup social enterprise Chemolex Company has joined forces with non-profit initiative Smart Villages, to establish 10 plastic capture devices along the Athi river and its tributaries, the Nairobi and Ngong rivers.

Fences placed across the rivers have diverted more than 1,000 tonnes from Kenya’s waterways, which is removed from the river by conveyor belt. The recycled waste is used to produce building materials like plastic fencing poles, pavement tiles, flooring and roofing.