21/04/21

Giving plastic waste a new life

Plastic pollution lake victoria
Plastics on the banks of a stream flowing into Lake Victoria. Copyright: Flipflopi/Umber

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Episode 38

With millions of tonnes of plastic waste produced each year on the continent, Africa Science Focus investigates how communities are managing this plastic tsunami.

This week, we speak to a team who set sail across Lake Victoria in a dhow made of recycled plastics and flip flops, and our reporter Michael Kaloki meets with activist James Wakibia, who’s taking his campaign against single-use plastics Africa-wide. Carole Excell from the World Resources Institute tells us what more governments and communities can do to protect people and the environment from plastic waste.

And in this week’s Q&A segment, Kent Chizu from Highland Secondary School in Zambia has a question about COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories.

Is there something you want to know about life, health or science in Africa? Send us your questions from anywhere in the world and we’ll find an expert to answer them — text or voice message via WhatsApp to +254799042513.

Africa Science Focus, with Selly Amutabi.


This programme was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the European Development Journalism Grants programme, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
EJC