{"id":150,"date":"2026-09-21T11:49:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T11:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myhappyafrica.com\/?p=150"},"modified":"2026-10-02T15:00:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T15:00:59","slug":"cote-divoire-is-turning-plastic-waste-into-classrooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myhappyafrica.com\/fr\/cote-divoire-is-turning-plastic-waste-into-classrooms\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire Is Turning Plastic Waste Into Classrooms"},"content":{"rendered":"

In C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, discarded plastic is being given an unexpected new purpose: building classrooms.
The project transforms difficult-to-recycle plastic into strong, interlocking bricks. These bricks can then be assembled into classrooms more quickly than many conventional building materials.
It is a practical response to two challenges at once\u2014the accumulation of plastic waste and the need for safe learning spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From discarded plastic to school walls
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following an initial pilot, UNICEF and the Colombian social enterprise Conceptos Pl\u00e1sticos announced the construction of a recycling factory in Abidjan in 2019.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, UNICEF said the factory would be able to process 9,600 tonnes of plastic annually. The initial ambition was to build 528 classrooms for more than 25,000 children.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A report published on 5 September 2026 states that 1,441 tonnes of plastic have since been transformed and 262 classrooms constructed, creating learning spaces for approximately 13,100 children.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bricks are lightweight, modular and designed to fit together. This can make classroom construction faster while also giving waste that might otherwise be burned or dumped a useful destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women at the centre of the solution
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programme also creates opportunities for women who collect and sort recyclable material.
By developing a dependable market for discarded plastic, the project can help waste collectors earn an income while contributing to cleaner communities.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their work is an essential part of the process. Without the people who recover and sort the material, the plastic cannot begin its journey from waste to classroom wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A solution with several benefits
This initiative does not pretend to solve all of C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s education or waste-management challenges. It does, however, show what can happen when environmental action, local employment and education are considered together.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A discarded plastic container may appear worthless. Through collection, innovation and construction, it can become part of a place where children learn.
That is real progress: turning a problem found in the streets into an opportunity inside the classroom.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Des personnes authentiques. De vrais progr\u00e8s. La vraie Afrique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources: UNICEF and The Times of India, September 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, discarded plastic is being given an unexpected new purpose: building classrooms.The project transforms difficult-to-recycle plastic into strong, interlocking bricks. These bricks can then be assembled into classrooms more quickly than many conventional building materials.It is a practical response to two challenges at once\u2014the accumulation of plastic waste and the need for safe […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-innovation","category-positive-african-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myhappyafrica.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myhappyafrica.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myhappyafrica.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myhappyafrica.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myhappyafrica.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/myhappyafrica.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154,"href":"https:\/\/myhappyafrica.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150\/revisions\/154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myhappyafrica.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myhappyafrica.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myhappyafrica.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}