“Single-use plastic is banned all over India and is strictly prohibited in big cities like Mumbai and Delhi,” Ramadan says. “This was enough proof that we do not need to be a developed country to take this step.”

She then started to think that maybe she should advocate for the same step in Egypt to be the second country in the MENA region – after Morocco – to ban single-use plastic. “Starting the project from Alexandria made the idea more exciting as from that point we would take a step towards decentralization,” Ramadan notes.

Alexandria is one of the most affected cities by plastic pollution. “Besides, for the cause to be sustainable, the project has to be financially stable. That’s why we saw the urge to make Banlastic as the first social enterprise aiming to ban plastic bags in Egypt,” she adds.

In “Banlastic Egypt” Ramadan focuses on banning single-use plastic in Egypt through three channels; providing alternative eco-products as a solution to replace single-use plastics, delivering awareness workshops on plastic pollution in which they engage the community to provide alternative solutions, and increasing Arabic content on the Internet about plastic pollution hazards.

“Middle-class Egyptians in big Egyptian cities are our main target and we mainly reach out to youth from 14-30 years old,” Ramadan remarks. Banlastic’s business model revolves mainly around selling single-use plastic and plastic alternatives, as well as the workshops they hold.

Ramadan adds that they reach out to the community through their social media and hanging posters in supermarkets. “We also advocate for the cause by organizing beach cleanups across Alexandria,” she says.

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