Jeanne-Nicole Menemene

Nicole is incubating new solutions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by leveraging social media to test and scale plastic recycling initiatives rapidly, focused on creating social benefits rather than just profit and engaging youth to develop sustainable wealth-creating opportunities through valorizing plastic waste.

Nicole is building a national movement for plastic recycling. Her initiative aims to curb plastic pollution in the DRC. Plastics were seen as indistinguishable from trash collection, which was under municipal authorities’ control. Citizens were regularly reminded of the health effects of the unsanitary conditions in their neighborhoods due to garbage piling up in the streets and areas adjacent to home dwellings. Nicole's work not only transforms plastic waste into valuable products but also inspires a sense of responsibility and pride in the individuals who choose to participate in her initiative.

Nicole is incubating new solutions by leveraging social media to test and scale ideas in major metropolitan areas of the DRC, allowing for rapid prototyping and scalability. She is also introducing environmental curricula into local schools to educate the next generation about sustainability and eco-conscious practices. Over 1.9 million people have benefited indirectly from Nicole's services, including improved waste management practices and increased awareness about the importance of recycling. Currently, 496 people have directly benefited from Plastycor, earning income from waste management activities. With an average of 8 people per household, this translates to an estimated 28,608 direct second-degree beneficiaries to date. This change in behavior not only reduces waste in landfills but also generates more job opportunities. Young people and women trained in waste management earn stable incomes while contributing to saving the planet. Continuing her mission, Nicole elects' youth ambassadors in key urban centers to organize awareness campaigns and drive community engagement. Additionally, she is introducing an environmental curriculum into local schools to cultivate a new generation of eco-conscious citizens.

In 2016, Nicole launched Plastycor, the DRC's first organization focused on plastics recycling, located in the City of Bukavu, the provincial capital of South Kivu. To ensure a reliable source of plastic materials, Nicole lobbied the mayors of the Cities and municipalities to create a city-wide waste collection system, which has since been adopted by five major cities in the DRC. Nicole began by demonstrating that discarded single-use plastics can be profitably used to create products, such as dust bins and plastic home and office trash cans. Even more importantly, she shared how to create these products with a nationwide audience of young social entrepreneurs she engaged on social media. Beginning with plastic recycling, Nicole is engaging youth in the DRC to create wealth through these plastic recycling initiatives. Her approach focuses on developing solutions with tangible social benefits rather than profit-driven approaches. Nicole's approach to transforming waste into functional, aesthetically pleasing products has sparked a significant shift in user behavior.

Now, Nicole is broadening the movement by engaging youth organizations and young entrepreneurs in clean-up services, by highlighting the need for the DRC to address plastic pollution in Lake Kivu, an 800-mile-long lake shared by Rwanda and Congo. And she is bringing that same sense of common purpose to Tanganyika, Lubumbashi, Kinshasa, North Kivu, South Kivu and Lualaba-Kolwezi to grow the clean-up efforts. Nicole is targeting her message to the youth in these areas, and especially young entrepreneurs, to drive the expansion of her plastic recycling and waste management initiatives across the DRC.

The problem of waste management in the DRC is multifaceted and deeply rooted. The country's infrastructure development has primarily focused on remote centers and urban cities associated with mineral mining, neglecting the need for comprehensive waste management systems. As a result, the highest concentrations of consumer and associated industry-destined plastics are in major metropolitan centers like Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Bukavu, and Goma. In Bukavu, the problem is further exacerbated by the significant waste flow from the Ruzizi I hydroelectric power station, leading to conflicts with neighboring Rwanda due to the contamination of the Ruzizi River.

This situation highlights the need for a coordinated regional approach to address the cross-border environmental impacts of poor waste management. The primary failure lies in the population's lack of awareness about their role in waste generation and the consequences of poor waste management. Influenced by social media, people view garbage as solely the government’s responsibility, failing to recognize their direct contribution to the problem. This mindset has rendered them as victims, unaware of the link between their actions and the adverse effects they face. The issue of inadequate waste management directly impacts over 190,000 inhabitants living near Lake Kivu and households living in informal dump sites in Goma and Bukavu. The proliferation of waste results from the laissez-faire leadership of local authorities and the population's mindset. Corruption is involved in garbage collection, where citizens don't understand where the money is, as the cities remain dirty.

In major metros such as Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Bukavu, Kolwezi, Goma, Kalemie and Butembo where the discarded plastic winds up, in the landfills or areas adjacent to neighborhoods, the aggregated population is around 30 million, and over 18 million people are affected by the consequences of inadequate waste management in the major cities. This has caused diseases and the death of thousands of children and adults. The waste management system in Congolese towns and cities faces significant challenges due to poor city management. This has led to severe public health issues, especially for households near dumping sites or areas with stagnant waste.

In major metros, there are no incentives that target plastic recycling as an opportunity for entrepreneurs to create wealth. Unemployment, especially among the youth, is a significant challenge in the DRC. UNICEF reports that 78% of young people on their U-Report platform claim to be unemployed. This issue disproportionately affects the youth, who comprise more than 60% of the population, with rural areas being hit the hardest.

To address this plastic waste problem, Nicole and OBWIME have organized unemployed youth into teams focused on collecting plastic waste. People see plastic as a waste, and only the government should create a collection solution. Nicole's 2018 awareness campaign in the Bukavu Ruzizi River area, which targeted 200 households, revealed a concerning lack of understanding among the population. In the bigger cities of Bukavu, Kinshasa, and Lubumbashi, Nicole's social media messages and her work videos have attracted youth allies, creating new businesses that transform plastics into new products and triggering clean-up campaigns.

Nicole's large social media following has inspired more youth to participate in plastic waste management initiatives in their neighborhoods. One of the key strategies used by Nicole at Plastycor is a knowledge-sharing approach of "we learn, we share". Nicole has actively shared her technology and expertise in plastic waste management with various stakeholders. This includes sharing information on how to incorporate plastic waste into housing construction and use recycled plastics in building government infrastructure. Nicole's social media strategy focuses on reaching a larger audience and empowering youth as social entrepreneurial leaders. Through online conferences and engagements, such as with Catalyst 2030 DRC chapter, Nicole shares her transformative experiences in waste management. She actively connects with youth, offering coaching and advice through social media platforms, including sharing her contact information during monthly entrepreneurship conferences. Nicole also utilizes TikTok to showcase her work on waste management and conducts online training, through YALI Groups in Africa, having trained youth organizations like Generation Epanoui, YALI, and KIVU TECH during Social Entrepreneurship Week. Youths are introducing new recycled products with the goal of popularizing their widespread use, including the use of plastics as construction materials for building new homes; 7 tons of waste were used for paving stones, and 80,000 bottles and corks were utilized for the Tilatopia project, creating an artificial island on Lake Kivu.

Plastycor has recycled over 280,000 bottles and produced bags from plastic waste. Plastycor promotes plastic waste valorization and establishes a network of young people and women engaged in social entrepreneurship to promote waste valorization throughout the country while advocating for policies on waste management. These initiatives contribute to reducing waste pollution and improving the environment. Plastycor also enables young people and women to get the means to support themselves and their communities through employment while also giving them the opportunity to contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable environment through the recycling and repurposing of plastic waste.

Nicole has collaborated with the government, families, and 50 organizations, including the World Resource Institute, Primate Expertise, Kivu Tech, Tilatopia, Bois Noir, and various universities. These partnerships provide support, funding, and expertise to expand the impact of waste management initiatives. Over 50% of households, influenced by Plastycor's services and awareness campaigns, have become actively involved in waste management. The community's participation has resulted in reduced theft in markets and increased plastic waste collection.

Nicole has developed a network of new allies to drive policies at the federal level. For example, Nicole's efforts have prompted the reactivation of the mayor's decree in 2018, specifically focusing on waste management regulations and policies, leading to increased vigilance and enforcement of waste management regulations. This demonstrates the influence of her work in shaping local policies and practices. Plastycor has successfully established a network of waste collectors consisting of more than 258 individuals and organizations. This network includes various groups such as informal youth organizations in town councils, university environmental clubs, women's movements like Badilika Youth in Bagira City Council, COZOPAX for Women involved in small businesses, and Lake Kivu Youths. Additionally, in Lualaba Province, Mayenze youth groups have mobilized hundreds of young people in each city to actively manage waste. This network ensures efficient collection and management of plastic waste, involving both individuals and private households. By empowering youth, creating wealth through recycling, and fostering community-driven solutions, Nicole's work is making a meaningful impact on the social and environmental landscape of the DRC.

Nicole Menemene was born in Bukavu, DRC. She grew up in a family of six children amidst domestic violence. Despite the hardships, she received a quality education. At 10, her family fled armed thieves, plunging them into poverty. Her parents separated when she was 13, and Nicole faced challenging living conditions.

Raised by her single mother, Nicole's family embraced responsible waste management early on, keeping a household garbage bin and avoiding littering. Her mother instilled a strong sense of cleanliness, including having the children pick up waste from the streets and dispose of it properly. Nicole would accompany her mother, crossing from Bukavu to the Kamembe food market in Rwanda, where she admired the clean streets and dreamt of a cleaner Congo, saying, "One day, our country will be as clean as Rwanda." They would buy corn or fruit, consume them, and then discard the waste on the Congolese side without any regard for cleanliness. Nicole would attempt to advise them, but they dismissively told her that she couldn't change the situation in Congo and should accept it. Tragically, her mother passed away when she was 18, leaving Nicole and her siblings struggling. While crossing the Rwandan border for affordable food, Nicole witnessed locals littering the Congolese side. Determined to make a change, she wrote an article emphasizing waste management and her mother's teachings "Mon sac, ma Poche Poubelle pour un temps ou Bukavu Poubelle pour longtemps" which wanted to say ("My bag, my trash for a while or Bukavu a trash forever.").

Inspired by her visit to Rwanda, Nicole became passionate about waste management and founded Plastycor, a social enterprise focusing on waste valorization and awareness campaigns across multiple cities in the DRC. Nicole's efforts have transformed her into an agent of change, empowering women, youth, and communities to take part in waste management and become valuable contributors to society. Her resilience and determination have inspired positive change, raised awareness, and created employment opportunities, fostering a cleaner and empowered community in DRC.