Recycling program

We assist communities in West Africa to transform plastic waste into valuable resources. By building recycling facilities across the region, in collaboration with local parties.

We not only clean the environment and repurpose plastic waste but, more importantly, create employment opportunities, offer alternative sources of income and drive sustainable economic development, while promoting the circular economy.

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much

IMPACT MADE
by our recycling program

Collecting and recycling waste creates new jobs, that previously weren't there. The recycling facilities offer job opportunities, train low-skilled employees in assembly and maintenance, ensuring skill development and pay them fair & above the average income.

The removal of thousands of tons of plastic waste annually not only counters its threat to humans and animals, who often mistake it for food or get entangled, but also offers a superior alternative to Senegal's current harmful waste disposal method of open burning, which degrades air quality and negatively impacts soil, water, and ecosystems.

Environment

The collected plastic waste is processed into high-quality flakes, supporting the circular economy with four different plastic types and minimizing the CO2 impact.

Circular Economy

The "cash for waste" system implemented by Smile Again generates additional incomes, people can bring trash to collections points and get paid equally to the weight of plastic brought.

Cash for Waste

Many women work for Smile Again, fostering their economic independence and ensuring their earnings support their families. These women receive training in waste disposal machinery, with the recycling project's products boosting the local market and attracting more women through word of mouth.

Gender Equality

For every problem - a solution. At Smile Again we have developed a method to process ‘non-recyclable’ plastic waste into building blocks in an energy efficient way by using West-Africa's high solar intensity, by harnessing this solar power effectively all the ‘non-recyclable’ plastic waste can be melted into building blocks.

Innovative Recycling

Sustainable Incomes

THREE- STEP RECYCLING

SOURCING

The plastic waste that we recycle comes from landfills, beaches, and the country side. We train our employees to recognize different type of plastics, which we categorized into the segments: HDPE, PP, LDPE, PET and Non-Recyclables. Our employees are in contact with waste pickers who receive cash for the waste they bring to our collection points, from there the plastic is transported for processing at our factory. In our factories each plastic type is sorted, cleaned and converted into flakes or bales.

CONVERTING

SORTING & CLEANING

The first factory established by Smile Again is Seneplast, located in Thiès, Senegal.

It embodies a 'cash for waste' model, predominantly offering opportunities to women, ensuring they receive fair wages and work in good conditions. Smile Again provided the essential machinery and advanced recycling expertise, and assisted in training the staff.

Today, Seneplast operates independently, Marie-Louise and André, run the operations. Smile Again supports with the sales of recycled plastic in Europe.

The success of Seneplast plant serves as a blueprint for scaling this initiative throughout the country and, eventually, all of West Africa.