Our Story

In the summer of 2019, Adam was given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study community development abroad in Ghana, West Africa, and participate in a social justice internship. While there, Adam was stunned by the sheer volume of plastic waste everywhere, especially in people’s backyards. However, I worked with a local NGO that introduced me to a unique alternative to traditional recycling that will be directly addressing Ghana’s plastic crisis.

In Ghana, Adam saw the detrimental effects that plastic pollution has on the environment and human health. Adam didn’t just hear about it, he saw people burning plastic on the side of the streets, in people’s backyards; in fact, Adam woke up every single morning to smog of burning plastic smoke every morning. This is because they have no other way of dealing with it as a result of minimal recycling infrastructure. As Canadians, we have the privilege of passing off our plastic waste and forcing the responsibility onto waste management companies. There is no denying that our current recycling systems are not effective in addressing the plastic crisis we all face. Additionally, there are not enough opportunities for individuals to take action against plastic waste. Our natural ecosystems are extensively polluted every day and as Canadians, we have never felt obliged to take climate action as we do not see the negative effects directly. We are here to change that.

For these reasons, today, Recircle is inspired to bring the same solution to St.FX University and the town of Antigonish with a unique twist. We cannot simply wait for massive corporations to change how they produce plastic. The Canadian Government wants to become a zero plastic waste economy by 2030. And Recircle is the first step. - they control the supply. Rather, as consumers, we must change the way we interact with plastic - we control the demand. Specifically, we must redefine traditional recycling by recircling plastic instead of recycling it. Plastic is a valuable resource and at Recircle we aim to turn trash into treasure.