The partnership will collect 75 tons of plastic per month and increase the income of the communities affected by IDAI Cyclone

The Non-profit Organization Water Unite closed  a deal in April 2019 to finance 3R’s ecopoint expansion in Beira, a city recently affected by cyclone IDAI. The funding for infrastructure aims to support the collection and recycling of 10% of the plastic waste produced in Beira* and benefit more than 500 members of the community through income generation.

Ecopoints are secondary collection points, managed by NGOs or local associations and supported by 3R, where the community can deliver/sell their recyclables, specifically plastics. Since 2017, 3R has established two such collection points in the Ponta Gea and Munhava Matope neighborhoods. On average 15 tons of plastics are collected monthly, processed at 3R Material Transfer and Recovery Facility (MTRF) and transported to recyclers in Mozambique and abroad.

By 2020, 3R and Water Unite intend to achieve 75 tons of plastic collection per month, benefitting more people and addressing the adverse effects of plastic packaging pollution. “We are very excited to start the implementation of this ambitious project. Securing access to sufficient volumes of material is crucial to scale the company’s positive impact in Beira. Together with the local communities we will establish 10 ecopoints, test different types of material sourcing and increase fivefold the amounts collected and recycled during the next 12-18 months”, says Adriaan Tas, group CEO.

About 3R

3R is a sustainable waste management and recycling company with headquarters in Maputo and operations in Beira and Vilanculos. The company has been in operation since 2015 and focuses on building infrastructure and services in support of the circular economy in Mozambique. In 2018, 3R commissioned its first Material Recovery Facility in the port city of Beira where it currently processes various types of plastics (HDPE, PP, PET) for onward sales to recycling industries in Maputo and South Africa. 

About Water Unite

Water Unite is an ambitious non-profit organization, still in start-up mode. The NGO provides catalytic, long-term funding to implementing entities to promote a circular economy and responsible consumption and help this to reach scale in emerging market countries.

*It is estimated that Beira produces 9000 tons of waste per month of which 810 tons is plastic. Therefore after 12 months the project will approximately collect 7-10% of the plastic waste produced in Beira.