Trading Trash for Trees in Kuwait City

Eco Star was co-founded in early 2019 by electrical engineer Fatemah Alzelzela to build recycling infrastructure that barely existed in Kuwait, where the vast majority of household waste historically went straight to landfill. The initiative collects plastic, paper and metal from homes, schools and restaurants for a small service fee, then rewards participants with shrubs and trees through a partnership with a local nursery, and runs school programs teaching children about recycling and environmental threats. Alzelzela's work earned her a spot as one of UNEP's 2020 Young Champions of the Earth. Since 2019 Eco Star has diverted more than 133 tonnes of plastic, paper and metal from Kuwait's landfills.