Case Study: Precious Plastic Gambia, The Gambia
A deep dive into PP Gambia, and what makes their business so special.
Who are Precious Plastic Gambia?
Precious Plastic Gambia is a community-led, non-profit organisation working to tackle plastic waste through hands-on recycling, education, and empowerment. Based in The Gambia, they operate at the heart of the circular economy movement in West Africa—turning discarded plastics into valuable products and powerful learning experiences.
They run a wide range of programs including community workshops, school outreach, and small-scale product manufacturing. By recycling type 2 (HDPE) and type 5 (PP) plastics, they create items like coasters, rulers, and jewellery beads—each piece a symbol of local sustainability and creative reuse.
Their mission is to create opportunity and awareness through action, building the tools and skills needed for long-term environmental impact. They are also one of the only workspaces in the Gambia making products from recycled plastic!
For more information, visit Precious Plastic Gambia’s Website, Instagram, or Facebook
Product Range
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Coasters
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Keyrings
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Beads & Jewellery
What Makes Precious Plastic Gambia So Successful?
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to starting a recycling business—but here are six key factors that help Precious Plastic Gambia thrive and create lasting impact.
Simple Products, Multiple Uses
Precious Plastic Gambia focuses on simple yet versatile products like beads, which can be turned into jewellery, keyrings, crafts, and souvenirs. This keeps production manageable while opening up a wide range of potential uses and revenue streams.
Community-Led, Culturally Rooted
Precious Plastic Gambia’s team are locals, and their work reflects a deep connection to community and place. Their approach builds trust and ownership within local groups, schools, and changemakers, which helps them grow meaningful long-term relationships.
Tourist-Friendly Workshops
By running engaging, paid workshops, they offer tourists and visitors a hands-on chance to create their own recycled products. It’s an experience-driven model that generates income while raising awareness about plastic waste.
In-Country Training
Hands-on support during setup helped them move quickly from idea to action. With machines installed and training delivered on-site, they were empowered with the knowledge and confidence to run independently from day one.
Small Products with Global Reach
Many of their products—like coasters and rulers—are lightweight, compact, and easy to ship. This makes them ideal for export and online sales, offering strong margins even when sold internationally at higher market prices.
Clear Mission, Visible Impact
Whether it's cleaning up waste, creating jobs, or running school programs—Precious Plastic Gambia has a clear mission and shares their success stories openly. This transparency inspires donors, volunteers, and collaborators to get involved.
Sustainable Design Studio Supplied
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Shredder Basic
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Arbour Injection Machine
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Bead Moulds
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Custom Moulds
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In Country Training
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Remote Consultancy & Support
A Deep Look At Our Incountry Training
Below is a video pulled from Brothers Make Youtube channel. We asked Brothers Make to document the Incountry Training process and provide a helping had to ensure everything went smoothly!
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