Where Some See Waste, Others See Opportunity: Young Sierra Leoneans Fight Against Electronic Waste, Plastic PollutionFREETOWN, Aug 10 2026 (IPS) - Growing up, Peter George, a young innovator in Bo District in Southern Region, Sierra Leone, watched people dump electronic waste near the farmland where his grandmother cultivated crops. However, George’s innovation shifted from solar lamps to recycling plastics to make backpacks as plastic pollution worsened in Bo. “Many people often think plastic pollution is only a problem in Freetown, but the issue is also very serious in provincial cities like Bo. During the rainy season, the roads become flooded because water cannot flow properly in drains due to blockage by plastic waste. Yet, despite the scale of the challenge, Sierra Leone’s plastic waste management policy is still under development.