Reducing plastic pollution in the White Nile in Juba

While Juba has a population of around 1.5 million, there are no specific laws on solid waste management or suitable infrastructure for this purpose, and less than 10% of household waste is collected by city authorities and private operators (African Clean Cities, 2022; Ajueny Mabil Mier, 2020). According to estimates, this capital city produces 262 tons of waste per day, with plastics accounting for about a quarter of this volume (JICA, 2022). The majority of this waste (approximately 90%) is not recycled, but burned outside or dumped in informal landfills, drains, or directly into the White Nile, increasing the risk of flooding, water contamination, and the proliferation of disease vectors such as mosquitoes (JICA, 2022). At present, the city is also experiencing a housing crisis: over 65% of homes on the outskirts are informal or semi permanent structures, built with non-durable materials. Standard building materials like concrete blocks account for up to 40% of construction costs, making quality homes unaffordable for many households (JICA, 2022).

Surveys have shown that over 90% of families would be willing to use alternative building materials, provided they cost at least 20% less than standard materials and meet basic safety standards. Converting plastic waste into building materials (slabs, paving stones, posts, etc.) could therefore provide a solution to both pollution and housing challenges in the city.

Chemolex plans to adapt and deploy a model in Juba that has already been trialed in Kenya: it will capture plastic waste from rivers, while setting up a system for collecting and repurposing these materials. The company has already installed thirteen "plastic interceptors" in Kenya, capable of collecting around 1,600 tons of plastic, and set up a network of over a thousand collection points, with training for 50,000 women in waste recovery.

This model will be tailored specifically to the situation in South Sudan, which lacks infrastructure (electricity, roads, municipal waste services), by:

• Installing an interceptor at a strategic location along the White Nile to trap floating plastics before they are dispersed downstream;
• Creating an initial modular "waste hub", near to the river and the surrounding local neighborhoods, for sorting, shredding, and processing plastics;
• Performing formulation tests on composites using both plastics and local materials (sand, stone dust, crushed glass) to produce sustainable building materials suited to the local climate.

This project is innovative not only for its use of technology but also the structuring of the value chain: local workers, particularly women and young people, will be recruited and trained in standardized sorting, safety, and production procedures, with the gradual addition of equipment partially powered by solar energy to limit costs and dependence on the electricity grid. A detailed study will also be conducted to evaluate demand and price sensitivity for recycled building materials which will then inform product selection (paving stones, tiles, planks, etc.) and preparation for scale-up using an economically viable model.

By installing an interceptor along the White Nile, creating an initial sorting center, and establishing a waste flow monitoring system, the project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a sustainable model for reducing plastic pollution and transforming waste into affordable building materials in Juba.

The main deliverables are:

• Install a reliable system for diverting low-value plastic waste flows from informal dumps, drains, and the White Nile by intecepting them in the river and setting up waste collection operations in local neighborhoods.
• Reduce health risks associated with a lack of waste management (flooding, waterborne and vector-borne diseases).
• Establish and launch a local waste management center with standardized procedures, safety measures, and a team trained in sorting, pre-shredding, and preparing plastics for recycling.
• Identify market opportunities for building materials made from recycled plastics (paving stones, tiles, planks, etc.) and related job opportunities for those involved in sorting, processing, and manufacturing, with the aim of producing more affordable building materials to reduce housing construction costs for low-income households.

By intercepting waste upstream in Juba, along a major tributary of the Nile system, the project is also aiming for a broader environmental impact: reduce pollution by preventing its dispersion downstream to other areas of the Nile basin in Uganda and Egypt.