Closing the Loop with ASASE Foundation

Empowering lives through plastic waste

The ASASE foundation was started by two women, Dana and Hilda, to help empower women in Ghana by creating new income through collecting, processing, and recycling plastic waste. Together, Dana and Hilda started the first CASH IT! recycling facility at the end of 2018 in the Katamanso district of Accra, and processed 35 tons of plastic waste by the end of 2019.

The model is simple and effective, and helps alleviate waste management issues in some of the most vulnerable communities in Accra while also unlocking the value of plastic waste for these very same communities Closing the Loop has since created over 150 new employment opportunities in the local recycling sector as of October 2021.

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“What we value most in our partnership with the Alliance is the access to the expertise in waste management, which we can leverage now in our project, effectively multiplying by a good factor the impact of the funding provided by the Alliance to our project.”

Dana Mosora, Co-Founder, ASASE Foundation

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Finding value in waste

We began working with the ASASE foundation in 2020 to develop the processing capacity of the CASH IT! facility to 500 tons of plastic waste annually. At the start of 2021, we extended our partnership with the foundation, as well as additional support from the European Union, to replicate this model in 2 new facilities by the end of 2023.

This year, the target was to ramp up the volume of plastic waste collected and recycled, to create a steady supply of plastic waste for the new facilities once opened. To do that, the ASASE foundation started 2 new collection centres in Gbestsile and Kpone, Accra, where waste pickers can aggregate and bale the collected plastic waste, and sell it to the foundation.

From January 2021 to September 2021, the Closing the Loop diverted around 600 tons of plastic waste from various streams, including from their collection centres, schools where they run educational programmes on plastic waste sorting, as well as monthly cleanups conducted along Accra’s coastline.

To help process this collected waste and sell it at a higher value, an extruder was installed in the CASH IT! facility, turning collected plastic waste into pellets. This improves the long-term economic viability of the recycling business.

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Supporting businesses that support people

Meet Eunice Otipeseku, one of the 150 waste pickers that make up the ASASE foundation’s collection network. Eunice starts her days at 5.30am, before sunrise, and works until nightfall, collecting plastic waste from the streets of Accra. It’s hard work, but a crucial income stream to support her family.

Seven years ago, she was widowed at the age of 42, and quickly assumed the role of sole breadwinner of her family. She single-handedly supports her own four children, seven nieces and nephews, and her elderly mother.

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When she started working with the ASASE Foundation in 2018, they supplied her with a tricycle to increase her waste collecting capacity. Within 6 months, Eunice was able to make enough money to send one of her children to university.

Now, she aggregates an impressive 10 tons of waste per month and has since been able to put all 4 of her children through school—and she’s not stopping there. She’s setting her sights on becoming one of the ASASE Foundation’s major suppliers, targeting to collect up to 30 tons of waste per month.

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“Now that’s a businesswoman we’re talking about. She started as a waste picker and built her capacity to this level. We must remember that when we support the business, we support the people. Not just for a cleaner society, but a healthier society.”

Hilda Addah, Co-Founder, ASASE Foundation

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Investing in the next generation

To pave the way for a more sustainable future, the ASASE Foundation is working with 58 schools to teach students about waste management, segregation, and recycling. Students also help collect and sort their own plastic waste, which is then collected by the foundation and recycled in the CASH IT! facility.

The foundation is also building career paths for young mechanics and engineers. They have partnered with Design and Technology Institute in Accra to bring select students on board the design and fabrication of the second CASH IT! recycling plant. These students will then have the opportunity to continue working at the facility upon graduation, to maintain and operate the assets they helped design and set up.

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