The ASASE Foundation launched Project CASH IT! in end November of 2018. On its one year birthday the CASH IT! Recycling Plant is reprocessing both water sachets (LDPE) and gallons and shampoo and detergent bottles (HDPE) into regrinds. These are then sold to recyclers to make pavement blocks, sheets for construction, bassins, liners, and so much more. With the help of many passionate people and a number of partnerships we were able to set up new channels of sale for the plastic our CASH IT! employees reprocess.
Since we opened the doors our team grow to 3 women and one man operators, one technician and 2 guards. We are collaborating with many waste pickers and middle-men and middle-women from whom be aim to buy 15 tons of waste plastic each week.
One of our buyers, Nelplast had manufactured about 600 tons of pavement blocks for the local communities from plastic they bought from us. We have also partnered with C-Propre, a French startup, to help launch SESA Recycling which so far had set up a collection network for the Ashaiman and Katamanso communites and schools to help educate about recycling and set up a collection system for them. CASH IT! Is setting up to re-process all the plastic which will be collected by SESA Recycling in the future.
The impact that CASH IT! has had on the local community is already very evident. Our co-founder Dana Mosora went to Ghana for three weeks and found, among other things, a clear awareness about the engagement of CASH IT! in the community and an evident willingness for the collectors of waste to work with CASH IT!
For example meet Francisca, a middle-women for water sachets in Katamanso, Accra who inspired us for the future.
After learning about the ASASE Foundation (www.asasegh.com) and the opening of our plastic recycling plant in her community, she got work right away. She knew that if she wanted to get the biggest share in our business she needed to collect as much as she can and, provide us with clean material of reliable quality each time. So, all by herself, she bought plastic bags and placed them all over her neighborhood at people’s homes. Once a week she tours her area and picks up only the plastic which was put in the bags, segregated from the waste. She knew this would provide our plastic reprocessing plant the quality of waste we need. This would result in us preferring to buy from her, giving her our biggest share of spending. She created her own model of collection of segregated plastic waste winning our trust and inspiring us to help her share this as best practice in collecting and a sure way to create an entrepreneurial activity in plastic waste collection.
Next, lets talk about Ibrahim who was a symbol and great moment of realization that there is so much talent in the recycling industry in Accra. We just need to team up with people whom shared our desires of creating jobs and new products which are useful in the communities where CASH IT! operates. Ibrahim is eager to develop new products and he knows how to build the recycling machines which will create such products. He needs business development know-how to chose the right products and put them on the market with the right approach. This is where ASASE came in and we now work together towards our common goal.
These are just two of the examples of the impact and partnerships we have made in our one year in business. We work daily to ensure we are truly making a difference and providing a REAL solution to a global epidemic. We are inspired and motivated by the women and children we see in the communities we’ve reached. We do what we do for the future and for them.
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