THE National Environment Management Council (NEMC) has signed an agreement with Turkish company Gaia Climate to collect plastic waste, a project expected to create significant employment opportunities for the youth.

Dr Immaculate Semesi, the NEMC director general, signed the agreement in Dar es Salaam yesterday with Gaia Climate representative Gediz Kaya, expressing confidence that the partnership will benefit many young people.

Affirming that waste as an economic opportunity she expressed the view that this agreement will enhance environmental protection by widening plastic waste collection and recycling into useful products.

A number of companies are already conducting such recycling activities and the big problem has remained the collection of plastic wastes in running water troughs, an aspect that this agreement did not specifically suggest.

The director highlighted NEMC efforts to curtail the production and use of harmful plastics, with Fredrick Mulinda, the chief environmental officer, asserting that the agreement is ground-breaking development in environmental management.

“The plastic business—Plastic Credits—introduces a new model that will increase productivity in environmental management,” he stated, explaining that the company will establish plastic waste collection centers where young people can deliver waste and earn income based on the quantity collected.

He alluded to the potential for this initiative to create an economic opportunity for a wide section of the youth, though it wasn’t clear how much of the waste can be recycled.

The project will reduce environmental and health risks associated with plastic waste pollution and help NEMC meet the government’s target of cutting plastic waste significantly, he said, while representative Kaya praised NEMC for accepting the partnership.

Tanzania is the company’s first African foothold, she said, affirming that this initiative stems from resolutions made at the 29th Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan towards the end of last year.

“Economic growth often leads to environmental pollution. This project ensures that as the economy grows, the environment remains protected,” she added.