Recycling Plastic Disposable Waste to Create Jobs and Improve the Living Standard of Urban Poor Women in Ghana

This activity has engaged many low-income people in urban areas especially in Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi to collect plastic disposable wastes usually found on the street and in public spaces. Waste collectors are paid a monthly salary. On top of that, they are also paid according to how much plastic and sachet waste they collect per kilo.

The problem

Many people in city prefer to drink water from sachets or plastic bottles. Most of these plastics are discarded on the street which clog up drains and consequently increase the risk of destructive flooding during the rainy season. Research has shown that part of the cholera outbreaks in Ghana’s cities (approximately 60 per week) can be attributed to the use of plastic bags. Furthermore, the increasing level of plastic waste enormously challenges the governmental waste management system and endangers the local ecosystem.

The solution

Helping the planet

This activity works directly with Blowplast Industries, Ghana's foremost company promoting and encouraging action on waste reduction, reuse and recycling. Recycling cleans the environment, conserves materials, saves energy and reduced the amount of garbage in the landfills. Recycling sachet wastes and disposable containers has many ecological benefits, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Helping people

This activity has partnered with Blowgroup of Companies, the leading manufacturer of poly products in Ghana, to recycle all plastics disposable wastes into products people can use like plastic chairs, bowls, gardening equipment and buckets.

Scaling Up

By collecting more recyclables from homes and businesses, this activity can help Ghana set the stage for future expansion of current manufacturing operations that demand recycled materials. That expansion will result in more jobs, increased tax revenue and an overall brighter economic situation for the country.