In the heart of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, a social enterprise is flipping the script on plastic pollution. Arena Recycling Industry is not just cleaning up the environment; it’s transforming discarded plastic into eco-friendly building materials and creating jobs in the process. As an Enterprise365 funding recipient of the Olympism365 Innovation Hub, the organization is addressing plastic waste through a circular economy approach and exploring how sports can be a powerful tool in fostering environmental stewardship.
Founded in 2020, the enterprise is dedicated to producing eco-friendly building materials made from both recyclable and non-recyclable plastic waste, revolutionizing construction practices and providing affordable housing solutions for low-income communities. But Arena Recycling’s impact goes far beyond infrastructure. Through a unique blend of community engagement, environmental education and sport, the organization is empowering young people to become active stewards of their environment. Their now-renowned Beach Football and Clean-Up Campaigns use the power of play to inspire climate action, shifting mindsets about plastic from pollution to potential.
We spoke with Hellena Sailas, Founder and General Director of Arena Recycling Industry, to learn more about her journey, the enterprise’s mission and how sport is helping spark a grassroots environmental movement across Tanzania.
How did Arena Recycling Industry begin and what inspired its mission?
I grew up in a region where the ocean was something I only saw on TV, always sparkling, clean and full of adventure. I dreamed of living in Dar es Salaam, a beautiful coastal city along the Indian Ocean that felt like the gateway to everything I’d imagined. In 2018, that dream came true. The first thing I did when I arrived was head straight for the beach. I couldn’t wait to see the ocean tides and play in the waves.
But when I got there, my excitement turned to heartbreak. The beach was covered in trash, plastic bottles, wrappers and debris everywhere. It looked nothing like the clean, serene places I’d seen on TV. I remember standing there, asking myself: Why can’t we clean this up? Why aren’t there trash bins? People around me laughed. They said, “You can’t control waste here.” That moment stuck with me.
Instead of accepting it, I began researching how other countries manage waste. I discovered concepts like the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and realized recycling wasn’t just environmental, it was also economic. It was a business. In 2019, with no funding and only a few friends, I started raising awareness in primary schools. We quickly saw how new the word ‘recycling’ was to many people.
From there, we organized beach cleanups, but we faced another dilemma: Where do we take this plastic? Dumping it again felt like a cycle with no end. That led me to study plastic recycling in depth. I read about technologies that transform plastic into oil, fuel and building materials. I was drawn to the idea of making construction products because I saw a real need in our communities for affordable, durable materials.
So, I began experimenting right from home. It wasn’t easy, but in 2020, I officially founded Arena Recycling Industry. What started as a personal disappointment at a dirty beach turned into a mission: to clean our coasts, empower our people and turn waste into opportunity.
How does your circular economy model work and what makes your materials unique?
Our circular economy model starts with plastic waste collection through cleanups, partnerships with community members and local waste pickers. Instead of that waste ending up in landfills or polluting the ocean, we give it a new life.
We clean, sort and process the plastic using semi-automated machines, mixing it with sand to produce strong, affordable building materials like paving tiles and boards. Our process uses no water or cement, which makes it even more sustainable. This approach not only reduces pollution but also creates jobs and educational opportunities, especially for youth and women in underserved communities.
What makes our materials unique is their performance. They’re three times more durable than concrete, waterproof, anti-fungal, anticorrosive and can last up to 60 years. At the same time, they’re cost-effective, making quality infrastructure more accessible to communities that need it most.
What challenges are you addressing in Tanzania through your work with plastic waste?
Right now, in Tanzania, plastic is becoming a “hot cake.” Everyone is jumping into it; people are setting up collection centers, trading waste like a new hustle. While that shows growing awareness, it also creates a challenge: the focus has shifted to short-term profit over long-term environmental or social value. A lot of plastic gets collected, but not all of it is responsibly managed. Some ends up being exported, dumped or stockpiled without proper recycling infrastructure. There’s also little transparency or standards in the market and many people don’t understand what happens to the plastic after it’s collected.
At Arena Recycling, we’re trying to go beyond just collection. We want to create a closed-loop system, one where plastic is not only removed from the environment but transformed into something that will stay useful for decades, like our eco-bricks and Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) materials. That’s the real impact. We’re also addressing the lack of public education, the gap in technical skills and the limited support for innovation in this space. Recycling can’t just be a trend, it has to be a movement that’s grounded in sustainability, inclusion and long-term thinking.
Tell us about your Beach Football & Clean-Up Campaigns. Why are they so effective?
It’s a simple but powerful model that uses sport as a catalyst for environmental action and youth engagement. We invite local youth to participate in a beach football match. But before anyone kicks a ball, they take part in a coordinated beach clean-up. Together, we collect plastic waste, talk about where it comes from and why it matters. Only after that do we play the game. It’s not just a clean-up, it’s a community experience.
It’s effective because football speaks a universal language. It brings energy, pride and a sense of teamwork, especially for young people who often feel excluded from decision-making. By connecting the joy of sport with the responsibility of stewardship, we’re planting seeds of awareness in a way that feels natural, not forced.
What’s even more powerful is that many of the participants go on to become advocates themselves. They start asking questions at home, in schools and even collecting waste beyond our events. Because we believe that this isn’t just about cleaning beaches, it’s about shifting mindsets and building a generation that sees plastic not just as waste, but as a resource.
How does sport help you engage youth in climate and environmental action?
Sport, especially football, is a bridge. It brings people together regardless of background, education or income. For us at Arena Recycling, sport isn’t just recreation, it’s a strategy. We use it to spark conversations, build trust and create a safe space where young people feel seen, heard and motivated to act.
When we organize beach football matches, we’re not just hosting games, but we’re creating moments of reflection and transformation. Before every match, participants join in cleaning the beach. It shifts their perspective: suddenly, the same place they want to play in is filled with waste and they are the ones helping to restore it.
This connection between the environment and a beloved activity makes the issue personal. Young people start to see themselves as protectors of their own spaces. The joy of playing gives them ownership and the clean-up gives them purpose. Sport also builds leadership and teamwork, qualities we need for climate action. And because it’s fun and non-judgmental, it attracts even those who wouldn’t attend a “climate meeting.” That’s why it works.
Can you share a story of how Arena Recycling has transformed someone’s life?
One story that stands out comes from a young man named Rashid who lives near the Kigamboni coastline in Dar es Salaam. When we first met him during one of our beach clean-up and football campaigns, he was unemployed and mostly disengaged. He told us that he thought cleaning the beach was “a government job” and that plastic waste was just part of life.
But after joining a few of our events, something changed. He started showing up early, helping organize tools and asking questions about recycling. When he learned that the plastic we collected could be turned into building materials, he was shocked. It was the first time he’d seen waste as something with value.
We invited him to visit our factory. After seeing the process – from trash to tiles – he asked if he could volunteer. Within months, Rashid became one of our most active youth advocates. Today, he’s a part-time team member, helping with sorting and awareness events in his own neighborhood. His transformation wasn’t just about getting a job, it was about finding purpose. He now tells others, “I used to walk past the trash. Now, I see a future in it.”
What’s next for Arena Recycling? And what’s your message this Plastic Free July?
What’s next for Arena Recycling is growth with purpose. We’re working to scale our production capacity, introduce new eco-friendly construction products like WPC and reach more underserved communities across Tanzania and beyond. But scaling for us doesn’t just mean producing more, it means creating deeper impact with more jobs, more clean coastlines and more people seeing plastic not as a problem, but as a possibility.
This Plastic Free July, our message is simple: you don’t need to wait for perfect conditions or big funding to start change. Arena Recycling began with a beach visit and a painful realization, but we turned that into a mission. Everyone has a part to play. Whether it’s picking up one bottle, teaching a child about waste or supporting local innovators – small actions matter. The world won’t be transformed by the loudest voices alone, but by consistent, committed hands. Let’s create cleaner, stronger and more hopeful communities together.
How has being part of the Olympism365 Innovation Hub helped you?
Being part of the O365 Innovation Hub has been a transformative journey for Arena Recycling. The grant we received allowed us to purchase a larger crushing machine. Before joining the program, we could only process about two tons of plastic waste a day. Now, we’re crushing up to five tons daily, doubling our recycling capacity and creating more impact on the ground.
But the support wasn’t just financial. Through the workshops and training, our team gained practical knowledge in business strategy, impact measurement and storytelling. We’ve also expanded our network significantly, connecting with other innovators, mentors and potential partners who are as passionate about sustainability as we are.
The Hub also enabled us to scale our beach clean-up and football campaigns. With new resources like jerseys, balls and shoes, we’ve been able to engage more youth and communities, making our environmental education more effective and exciting.
Arena Recycling Industry is proof that innovation doesn’t always start in labs or boardrooms. Sometimes, it begins with heartbreak on a polluted beach and a refusal to look away. Today, they’re turning waste into opportunity and sport into a force for change. Click here to learn more about the O365 Innovation Hub recipients.
