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Plastic Recycling

Plastic Recycling

The Plastics Recycling Project

The project is educating young people in schools and communities on the dangers of plastic pollution, the sustainable use, and management of plastics, and plastics recycling as well as engaging them to stop plastic pollution.

The first phase of the project is actively working on plastic bottles wherein we are collecting and recycling plastic bottles into two innovations; UPB Tree Nursery Pots and UPB Vertical Gardens.

1. UPB Tree Nursery Pots

 

UPB means Upcycled Plastic Bottle. UPB Tree Nursery Pots are tree planters made from the upcycling of plastic bottles and these tree nursery pots have several advantages over the plastic bags that are commonly used to nurse trees. Some advantages include

  • They are very economical and cheaper to produce than plastic pots
  • They are durable and last for over 10 years as compared to plastic pots that can last for just a nursing season.
  • They are reusable and can be reused over 20 times as compared to plastic pots that can be used just once
  • Repurposing plastic bottles into UPB Tree Nursery Pots contributes to cleaning up the environment and reducing plastic bottles pollution
  • It's easier to  manage and transport trees grown in UPB Tree Nursery Pots as compared to trees grown in plastic pots
  • It's easier to water and maintain plants grown in the UPB Tree Pots as compared to plants grown in plastic paper nursery bags.

2. UPB Vertical Gardens

We're also innovatively upcycling plastic bottles into UPB Vertical Gardens, a plastic bottles hanging vertical farm that is excellent for urban gardening.

 

DIY: How to make a UPB Vertical Garden

 

The Plastic Bottles Recycling and Arboriculture Project

The project strives to upcycle 500,000 plastic bottles into One million UPB Tree Nursery Pots and use them to nurse one million trees (fruit trees, agroforestry trees, medicinal trees, ornamental trees) which will be planted in the Bamenda Highlands of the North West Region of Cameroon in order to promote food and fruit security, alleviate poverty and youth unemployment, STOP Plastic Bottles Pollution and fight climate change.

The principal objectives of the project are;

  • Remove 500, 000 Plastic Bottles from the environment and train young people to upcycle them into one million UPB Plant Nursery Pots; hence stop plastic pollution and create economic opportunities for young people.
  • Nurse and plant one million trees comprising 500,000 fruit/medicinal trees, 200,000 indigenous forest tree species, 150,000 agroforestry tree species, 100,000 ornamental trees, and 50,000 other eco-tree species; hence promote reforestation and fight climate change
  • Train and engage youths in arboriculture and the upcycling of plastic bottles into UPB Tree Nursery Pots and UPB Vertical Gardens hence creating employment opportunities

So far, we've removed and upcycled over 50,000 plastic bottles into UPB Tree Nursery Pots and UPB Vertical farms. We've trained over 500 young people in plastic bottles upcycling and educated thousands of people about Plastic Pollution.