Lina Al-Mustafa

Jordanian environmentalist leading global efforts to combat plastic pollution through grassroots recycling initiatives

Lina Al-Mustafa is a Jordanian environmental activist and founder of Zero Waste Jordan, an NGO that pioneered community-based recycling programs in the Middle East. Starting in 2012, her organization established the first door-to-door waste collection system in Amman, diverting 80% of household waste from landfills through sorting and upcycling. This model has since been replicated in Lebanon, Palestine, and Egypt, creating green jobs for over 2,000 people.

Al-Mustafa's advocacy led to Jordan's 2017 ban on single-use plastics, a policy now adopted by six other Arab nations. She co-founded the Mediterranean Plastic Alliance in 2020, uniting 12 countries to reduce marine plastic pollution by 30% by 2025. Her team also developed EcoBricks—a building material made from 100% recycled plastic—that's used in affordable housing projects across the region.

Her TEDx talk 'Plastic is a Design Failure' has garnered over 2 million views, and she was awarded the UN Champions of the Earth award in 2019. Critics highlight her innovative blend of community organizing and policy change, exemplified by Jordan's National Plastic Waste Strategy. Al-Mustafa's work directly supports UN SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).