Sustainable Waste Management through Composting and Upcycling in Ghana

In collaboration with the Ghana Permaculture Institute (GPI), our project aims to promote the more sustainable handling of plastic and organic waste in Ghana. Together, we want to show how this waste can be used in a sustainable way. 

 

An important goal of our project is to hold workshops on composting organic waste in the community of Nkwaeso. The workshops are to be held with a local women's group and serve as the start of a community project. Around 60% of the waste produced in the community is organic waste. This waste is usually disposed of unseparated from plastic waste in landfill sites, released into the environment or improperly incinerated. Composting not only reduces waste, but can also be used as organic fertilizer and thus increase the fertility of the soil. As the municipality and the region are very agricultural, there is great potential. It is a very cost-effective and at the same time more sustainable alternative to the chemical fertilizers and pesticides that the majority of farmers rely on to achieve good yields. The project also aims to reduce negative impacts on the soil and its fertility. 

In order to realize the workshops, we are dependent on donations to buy the necessary materials and tools.

We would also like to support the sustainable use of plastic waste. To this end, we plan to hold experience-oriented workshops on creative upcycling with plastic waste in some schools in the municipalities of Tanoboase and Kranka. The aim is to raise awareness among children through creative knowledge transfer. Plastic waste is a major problem in Ghana. A large proportion of plastic bottles and bags in particular end up in the environment and are often disposed of improperly, if at all, and are rarely recycled. This has fatal consequences for both human health and the environment. Watercourses are blocked by plastic waste, increasing the risk of flooding and erosion. The risk of malaria also increases due to the accumulation of water. The plastic eventually reaches the sea via rivers, polluting bodies of water and endangering ecosystems.

Materials such as paints, scissors and pens are also needed for the planned workshops, which we can finance through donations. We, that is Winifred, James, Franziska and Tobias, would be very happy about your donations to realize the workshops!