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Pitch

Waste Train is a waste management system that educates to reduce waste; reuses and recycles waste into opportunities that alleviate poverty


Description

Summary

Waste Train is a waste education, waste collection and recycling system that strives to minimize and eliminate waste from the source (the point waste is produced) and then recycle the minimum waste produced into opportunities. It is a waste management system that educates to reduce waste; reuse and recycle waste into opportunities that alleviate poverty, improve agricultural yields by restoring soil fertility and providing scare-crows, reduce emissions associated with waste and improve the livelihood of people and the environment. Waste Train targets waste before it is being produced thereby minimizing the amount of waste produced and reuse or recycles the waste produce thereafter into opportunities: Transform the trash into treasure. The system comprises of three stages; Waste education, waste collection and waste house.

Waste Train is an eco-friendly project that fosters global environmental sustainability, improve lives and alleviate poverty


Category of the action

Reducing emissions from waste management


What actions do you propose?

The system comprises of three stages; Waste education, waste collection and waste house.

Waste Education: Lack of education about waste and its associated ills and opportunities accounts for the tons of waste produced daily. Education is the foundation of every successful society. Waste education is the number one key to eliminating waste. Educating the community changes the mind-set of the people towards waste hence reduce the amount of waste produced. Waste Education comprises of “Waste Radio” which is a 60 minutes interactive and educational radio program that educates people about waste, its effects and its opportunities. Education shall also comprise of a community sensitization team that shall move from door to door to educate the communities about waste and then establish Local Community Waste Management Comittees (LCWMC) that shall oversee that waste is effectively managed in their community. LCWMC shall ensure the sustainability of waste education and the the project. Posters shall also be used to educate the communities about waste and its management.  With effective education, more than 50% of waste is going to be reduced. Education shall emphasize on sorting. Waste education hence is the first step in minimizing the amount waste and its associated emissions.

Waste Collection: With 50% of the amount of waste reduced, waste collection sets in to collect the remaining 50% of the waste. With the communities being educated on how to sort their waste, waste and with the establishment of Local Community Waste Management Committees (LCWMC),  collection becomes easy. 

“Waste points” are created in communities. Waste points are spots where members of the community dump their waste. At waste points, there are four spots; one point for dumping organic waste, another for plastic waste, one for electronic waste and another for textile waste. Waste points make it easy for people of communities to easily sort their waste before dumping the waste at the point. With the advent of waste points, members of communities are bound to sorting their minimum waste before dumping it.The waste is then collected by the waste collection team and taken to Waste House.

Waste House: Waste House is a place where waste is assembled for reuse and recycling. Thousands of tons of textile waste annually. Although the amount of textile waste generated in Cameroon is unknown, a Tailor (Fabric designer) in Bamenda produces an average of 5 - 20kgs of textile waste weekly. The city of Bamenda has more than  five thousand fabric designers. If you do the Math, you will realize that  tons of textile waste are generated in Bamenda annually. Landfills are chocked with shoes and cloths that can be reused and recycled to alleviate poverty and improve lives. 95% of these textile waste are recyclable but not up to 5% of the waste is being recycled. Besides the fabric designers, Bamenda - Cameroon is one of the cities that deals a lot with second-hand (used) cloths and shoes.  The city is a home to tons of imported cloths and shoes. If you visit the markets on market days,  you will be amazed with the amount of textile waste you find that has been abandoned by businessmen who classify this category of cloths and shoes as being rejected by their clients. All this textile ends up in landfills.

At Waste House, textile waste is sorted out for recycling or reuse. Those sorted out for reuse are cleaned and distributed to orphans and vulnerable children and to the needy and poor people of cities and villages especially adults at senescence. 

Those for recycling are chopped into pieces and parts which are still good are sent to the production section for the production of low cost “Pieces dresses”. “Pieces dresses” are dresses that are made from a combination of fabrics of diverse origins.

Waste from fabric designers, and homes combined with the left over pieces of fabric after recycling to produce “Pieces dresses” shall further be recycled to produce dolls, dusters, pillows, mattresses, and scarecrows.  The dolls shall be distributed for free to children while the dusters shall be distributed to schools for free The dusters for schools are to be used to clean the chalk boards. The low cost pillows and mattresses shall be sold at very low cost to people of villages who still use grass mattresses and pillows. These together with the pieces dresses shall improve their lives and wellbeing hence alleviate poverty. As such, Waste House shall completely eradicate textile waste from our environment.

Organic Waste collected and brought to Waste House shall be sent for composting to produce eco-friendly manure. The manure shall then be sold at low cost to farmers who shall also be given scarecrows for free. While the manure boasts farmers’ agricultural productivity, the scarecrows ensure the crop safety by scaring away animals. The eco-friendly manure shall also restore soil fertility.

Plastic waste at Waste House shall further be sorted. Plastic papers shall be used for the designing of handbags, ropes, necklaces etc. Candy sticks shall be used for the making of nets like football nets, door blinds, etc. Plastic bottles shall be cleaned and given out to those in need for reuse while other plastic waste shall be assembled for big recycling companies to purchase for recycling.

Electronic waste shall be assembled and safely stored for electronic companies to purchase the waste and recycle.

After passing through Waste Train, the minimum waste produced will then be safely discarded in landfills with little or no emissions. Waste train is the gateway to the 3Rs; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Waste train is the solution to reducing waste its associated emissions.


Who will take these actions?

The Greens will take these actions together with the Bamenda III Council and the Bamenda City Council.

The Greens is not-for-profit, non sectarian and apolitical youth enviro-agricultural and health organization that connects, inspires and collaborates with young change-makers to build thriving, just and sustainable ways of life for all. www.thegreensworld.org

Other Stakeholders involved in the project include the Network of Environmental Stakeholders - Cameroon (NEST-Cam) and the Regional Delegation of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development.


Where will these actions be taken?

Waste Train is intended to be carried out in Bamenda III Sub Division. Bamenda III Sub Division is located in Mezam Division of the North West Region of Cameroon.


What are other key benefits?

Waste Train besides reducing emissions from waste have lots of key benefits. The establishment of Waste House shall trigger the recruitment and training of eco-friendly fabric designers, most of whom shall be orphans and vulnerable children, People Living with HIV/AIDS and the poor and needy. As such, Waste Train via Waste House shall provide job opportunities to young people.

Waste Train besides employment shall go a long way to alleviate poverty and improve the living standards of the local people. The production of low cost pieces dresses, pillows, handbags, mattresses etc shall improve the living standards of the people hence fight poverty.

The project shall also boast agricultural productivity by providing eco-friendly manure and scarecrows. Generally, the project shall improve lives and light hope for a more sustainable and greener future.


How much will emissions be reduced or sequestered vs. business as usual levels?

Via waste train, waste and its associated emmisions are greatly reduced by about 75%.


What are the proposal’s costs?

To implement Waste Train in the preliminary phase will cost 15000USD.

Education (Waste Radio) and sensitization  - 3000USD

  • Materials for the education, documentation and establishment of the LCWMCs = 480USD
  • Motivation and transportation for the Community sensitization team = 500USD
  • Waste Radio is a 60 minutes weekly radio program 1hour radio program plus rebroadcasts equals 40USD. Waste Radio is intended to run for 52 weeks hence costs 2080USD.
  • 1000 Posters for community education will costs 600USD

 

Waste Points: Construction of five waste points with four waste spots for the different types of waste  4000USD

  • A trip of Sand costs 250USD. The five waste spots require 5 trips of sand (1250USD)
  • A trip of black stone costs 180USD. The five waste spots require 5 trips of black stone (900USD)
  • Iron Rods – 400USD
  • 63 bags of Cement for construction will cost 700USD
  • Other Materials such as wood, nails, buckets etc will cost 250USD
  • Labour costs 500USD.

 

Waste House

  • A sewing machine costs 200USD. 10 sewing machines will cost 2000USD.
  • A chopping machine will cost 800USD to be fabricated here in Bamenda.
  • Purchase of cleaning detergents and Pressing Irons for textile waste that can be reused will cost 500USD.
  • 1 year house rent for the warehouse to be used as Waste House will cost 2400USD. A month costs 200USD.
  • Purchase of materials for the finishing of Pieces dresses, mattresses, dolls etc will cost 1000USD Other materials and electricity bill for waste house cost 300USD.

 

Others: 1000USD


Time line

The prelimary phase of the project is intended to run for 1 year.


Related proposals


References

www.thegreensworld.org

http://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/handle/2440/38002