“But what about the plastic bottles?”
Supporter Update | March 2020
Regularly when we tell people about SODIS (Solar Disinfection) they always ask, “but what about the plastic bottles?”
It’s a common concern — and a valid one! Are we simply adding more waste into the system?
Let’s back up. SODIS — aka Solar Disinfection — is WaterSchool’s inexpensive and replicable way of turning dirty water into water that’s safe to drink. Here’s how it works: contaminated water is collected and placed in a clear plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle and is left on a hard surface in direct sunlight for one day if it's sunny or partly cloudy day or two days if it's fully cloudy. The sun’s UV rays kill the micro-organisms in the water turning dirty water into clean water for children, their parents and their communities.
Since the beginning, we’ve been on the hunt for a way to recycle these plastic bottles to ensure that we’re having a net zero impact on the environment — even though we use plastic bottles every day.
Joseph Tumushime, from WaterSchool’s field team, holds a building brick made from recycled bottles at the Coca Cola plastic bottle recycling plant in Kampala. This plant recycles 2 million plastic bottles every day.
Coca-Cola Uganda and WaterSchool: A Match Made in Recycling Heaven
When we went looking for an expert in bottling and recycling, we didn’t have to look any further than Coca-Cola Uganda. Recycling over 2,000,000 bottles a day, the team at their recycling plant are experts in the field. They turn millions of plastic bottles into re-useable materials — like bricks!
WaterSchool’s Net Zero Impact
In 2019, WaterSchool provided 168,513 new SODIS bottles to the communities we work with. In turn, we also collected 172,885 bottles from communities and from local waste and dumps. These bottles were dropped off at Coca-Cola for recycling and repurposing. Ultimately, we collected more bottles for recycling than we gave to communities!
As a donor to WaterSchool, you can be proud knowing that SODIS is an innovative and environmentally sensitive solution to addressing the water crisis in Uganda.
Read more from our March 2020 Supporter Update:
Meet Adikin and Mary: They’re at the top of their class and are deeply committed to their school work. But, every month they would get sidelined from school and setback in their studies by the same thing: their periods. They shared more with us about their experience as teenage girls trying to finish school and the unique barriers they face.
How reusable pads are changing the future for young women and girls in Uganda: Girls often dropout of school after Grade 6 because there aren’t private latrines where they can relieve themselves safely or manage their menstrual cycle. Here's what we're doing about it.