Mopti - a town known for its mosque, its port - and its plastic bags. Nicknamed the 'Venice of Mali,' the town has decided to have a clean-up. The idea has come from Niger and is spreading across Africa: to collect the rubbish left over from modern civilization, and turn it into something else, in this case traditional-look paving stones.

This is a small recycling centre, based in Mopti, which manufactures the plastic pavestones. The method is simple, cheap and efficient, even though masks have to be worn for protection against the toxic fumes. Mixed with sand, the paste makes a kind of tar that’s poured while still hot into a special mould. After leaving it for a few minutes to cool down, the pavestone is ready. And there are lots of different styles to suit different tastes: the centre has a little shop attached where you can take your pick.

Every day about ten women and children come from the local tip carrying a fresh load of dumped plastic in return for 50 CFA francs a kilo, or seven euro centimes. It’s a vocational and ecological project that’s supported by the Aga Khan Foundation, which is working to regenerate and clean up Mopti.

One year after the start of the project and the town’s clean-up operation, Mopti has been transformed into a town its locals are proud of: business is booming and tourism is on the increase. Next year, Mopti’s plastic recycling project will be rolled out across other towns in Mali, in a bid to end one of the worst ecological problems in Africa.
 

To watch François-Xavier Freland’s report, click the video above.