We all try and do our bit to minimise the ongoing pile-up of plastic; in Faridpur, Bangladesh the problem is even more visible, with waste clogging the streets and pouring into the river, but now there’s a better way to deal with it, thanks to people like Taslima (pictured).

Practical Action has been working with local authorities and waste workers, like Taslima, to more safely collect & sort plastic, recycling some, and then transforming what can’t be recycled into fuel, using a process called pyrolysis (more on this below).

Taslima used to risk injury collecting waste for barely any income. Now, she works in safer conditions and can send her children to school.

“After getting in contact with Practical Action, I can support my family and I feel empowered and dignified.”

It’s a breakthrough solution to one of the world’s dirtiest problems, and you can help take clever solutions like this even further, benefitting even more people like Taslima.

Will you be part of the solution to clean up waste and help people build safer, more secure lives?

A pyrolysis machine takes plastic that can’t usually be recycled and transforms it into something useful.

In Faridpur, waste collectors like Taslima pick up plastic from the riverbanks and nearby streets. Bottles and containers are sorted for recycling. But low-grade plastic – like bags and wrappers – can’t usually be reused. It ends up in open dumps or gets burned. Now, it’s treated with pyrolysis instead.

The plastic is heated safely in high-tech, low emission machines. This creates oil that replaces imported diesel in local farming equipment, and black carbon that’s used in products like printer ink.

It’s a breakthrough solution to one of the world’s dirtiest problems. Smart, scalable, and full of hope, it’s proof that change is possible.