While it sometimes feels like we’re all doing a great job when recycling, the reality is that we have still got a worryingly long way to go. Plastic, for instance, will take anywhere between 500-1,000 years to break down, which means that virtually every piece of plastic ever made still exists in some form.
Khayreddine Khelifi, Green Plus’s CEO, took advantage of the opportunity in Tunisia to tackle plastic waste by recycling it, as well as providing jobs to certain people. With the start-up Green Plus, Tunisian citizens will be able to recycle plastic waste and receive money in return. Through the automated and rapid recycling system of plastic bottles and all other categories of plastic items, the collectors of these materials can easily earn a constant income at the same time that they reduce the environmental footprint.
« It is absolutely vital we act now to tackle this threat and curb the millions of plastic bottles a day that go unrecycled. »
As a reward, waste collectors may also exchange their plastic containers for phone charging tickets, coupons, and « Thank you points, » which can be redeemed for cash, through smart distributors.The Tunisian entrepreneur Khayreddine Khelifi attended the training and coaching sessions organised by GIMED, where he was introduced to a theoretical and practical approach about green entrepreneurship and was guided to dive deeper into his individual project development.
« With multiple coaching sessions leaded by talented coaches, several updates on the Green Business Model (GBM) and The Switchers.org platform which has corrected and improved the information, GIMED offered a great opportunity before our launch and a source of technical and financial assistance », stated the Tunisian innovator.
GIMED also provided entrepreneurs with information and technical support, along with sub-grants with a value of 7,500€ that can help grow their business. « Entrepreneurs must attend trainings in their fields and seek information to grow their start-ups. There are so many resources available today, and we should take advantage of them », says Khelifi.
