Founder and manager of the plastic waste collection company on the Kerkennah Islands in Tunisia
Omar Kcharem is a young native of Kerkennah, very active in the archipelago’s social and political life. After completing his studies, Omar worked as an employee in several local companies, allowing him to acquire considerable experience in managing and running a business.
In 2018, he decided to launch his own plastic waste collection company, approved by the Tunisian authorities. He benefited from state support and a subsidy provided by a local donor to buy a van and a press which, while functional, did not allow the company to achieve its desired profitability.
Omar took advantage of the grant provided by the DEVLOK project to improve his equipment and set up a new operating method that has turned his company into the motor of the local plastic pollution management sector.
Omar currently works with about ten local primary collectors and employs three people full-time. His company has made it possible to collect 90 tons of plastic waste in less than a year, especially incredible when comparing it to the mere 10 tons collected in 2020.
The collaboration with SEAQUAL INITIATIVE will allow Omar to participate in the collective effort to decontaminate the Kerkennah archipelago and to improve the financial and social situation of all the primary collectors who work there.