24 Hours of STEM
Innovating Waste Solutions in Uganda
Start Time
December 19, 2020 at 10:00:00 AM
Length
1 Hour
Paige Balcom
Takataka Plastics
Co-Founder and CTO of Takataka Plastics. PhD student at the University of California Berkeley studying Mechanical Engineering and Development Engineering. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.
About the Presentation
"Did you know that 91% of the world’s plastic is not recycled?
These plastics build up in waste sinks in developing areas like Gulu, Uganda. Since Gulu is a 6 hour drive from the nearest recycling plant, the high transportation costs make it economically unfeasible to send low-value plastic waste for recycling so the plastic is burned, buried, or littered.Takataka (meaning “waste” in Swahili) Plastics is providing a recycling service that currently does not exist, creating income opportunities for the marginalized, and reducing environmental and health hazards in places where waste is currently burned or littered. We are developing ground-breaking technology to safely process plastic waste in Uganda, changing people’s mindsets about plastic waste from untouchable, dirty “rubbish” to a potential resource impacting their environment, and creating opportunities for employment and healing for trauma survivors."