Liberia Pays Residents to Collect Plastic, Restore Wetlands

Communities outside Monrovia once harvested crabs and crawfish from nearby wetlands. Today, those same water bodies are choked with plastic, but a new program is turning that trash into treasure.

Champion for Nature Conservation Liberia (CNCL) launched a waste management project on April 22 that pays residents to collect plastic from their neighborhoods. Eight communities near Paynesville City will participate, with 65 volunteers trained to lead the effort.

The financial incentive is simple but powerful. Residents earn 35 cents for every kilogram of plastic they gather. By separating plastic from organic waste at home, families can create a new income stream while using food scraps as fertilizer for kitchen gardens.

"Our wetlands and water bodies are suffering," explained CNCL Executive Director Moses Massah. "We remember when these swamps provided us with food. Today, they are spoiled by plastic."

The timing couldn't be better. Plastic currently makes up 14% of Paynesville City's total waste, according to city officials. Director of Commercial Solid Waste Romeo Coker noted that a single $10 shopping trip can generate 10 to 15 plastic bags.

The Ripple Effect

This project reaches far beyond cleaner streets. The United Nations Development Programme, which supports the initiative, sees it as a pathway to inclusive economic growth, particularly for women and young people who can turn collection into regular income.

The community-by-community approach also builds local ownership. Instead of waiting for government trucks, residents take control of their environment while earning money. Jacob Town community chairperson Samukai Kamara praised the program for putting solutions directly in residents' hands.

Perhaps most importantly, success could unlock more funding. Massah told participants that strong performance will attract additional donors, while failure could close doors with international partners.

The restored wetlands could eventually return to their role as "food baskets," providing sustainable protein sources for communities that have watched their natural resources disappear under mountains of plastic waste.