BBC Radio 4 Costing the Earth - Fantastic Plastic

Plastic should be recycled. However, many developing countries sadly either have no recycling system at all, or a poor waste collection at best.

The locals have no option but to use their own initiatives, turning waste from a problem to a solution. Pierre Kamsouloum, a child in Cameroon, wanted to play football - but didn't have a ball to play with.

He came up with the idea of melting soft plastic food wrappers, moulding it into a makeshift football... A few years later he revisiting his idea, but was surprised to stumble on a money-making opportunity... With practice, Pierre learned that mxing molten plastic with sand turns it into tough paving slabs that could be sold at a competitive price.

Since then, with the support of NGOs, thousands of people in Cameroon and Gambia are learning the technique. Dave Hakkens, a design student from the Netherlands built self-service plastic recycling machines, allowing those in developing countries to recycle their plastic locally. Using a simple technology, his machines shred, melt and extrude plastic into moulds to make a variety of products including: flat sheets, bowls, and even giant Lego-style house building bricks. The designs are all open-source and online, and a movement of thousands of people has grown up, building, improving and using Dave’s machines.

BBC Radio 4 investigates... Listen now.