Raeed Roshan Ali: Inspiring Youth to Tackle the Plastic Waste Problem
Raeed: Mass production of plastics, which began just six decades ago, has accelerated so rapidly that it has created 8.3 billion metric tons of waste, out of which only 9% has ever been recycled. It’s estimated that Fiji, a small Pacific Island country with a population of fewer than one million people, produces 168.4 tonnes of plastic waste each day! 136 tonnes of this plastic waste is mismanaged. So in 2019, my friends and I formed Precious Plastic Fiji, a youth-led social enterprise that adopted the principles of a global movement to provide a solution to solve the plastic pollution problem. We apply commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social, and environmental well-being, by turning plastic waste into commercially viable products.