In Ivory Coast, Abidjan’s young people wage war on trash

In a working-class neighbourhood of Abidjan, a small group of young volunteers armed with shovels and rakes is scrubbing rubbish-clogged drains. Their message: “Our streets are not rubbish bins.”

Mickael Yao, 22, founded the NGO Clean Street a year ago after a disturbing realisation that most Ivorians throw waste in the street and think it’s normal.

“I said to myself that we have to fight against this for good health and for the future of a country, because any country that wants to be developed must first be clean,” he says.

Yao gained nationwide attention on TikTok, where his awareness videos have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. Clean Street now has over 60 members, mostly young people.

Older Ivorians see it as disrespectful

Yao says reaching adults is harder. “When you speak to an adult, even just to raise their awareness, they’ll say to themselves, ‘It’s a child who’s trying to educate me.’

So they actually see it as a lack of respect. That’s why we focus more on young people and go into schools.”

Plastic is the main scourge

Greater Abidjan produces at least 4,500 tonnes of household waste daily. Sarrahn Ouattara, director general of the National Waste Management Agency, says plastic is the main problem.

A 2013 decree banning plastic bags is still not enforced. “Whatever efforts are made, all these bags and bottles spoil the view,” she says.

Residents also blame irregular collections and a lack of bins.

But for Yao, change starts with civic duty. “Any country that wants to develop must first be clean.”