Tema New Town in Ghana faces significant challenges in waste management, primarily due to residents' inability to pay for organized waste collection. As a result, waste is often dumped along the coastline or burned. In response, Environment360 established the Pick-It Sorting Centre in Tema New Town to enhance the livelihoods of waste pickers and support an alternative waste collection system aligned with Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions. The IKI Small Grants project strengthens the capacity of over 300 waste pickers in Tema New Town and surrounding areas, enabling them to scale their businesses and independently operate at the Pick-It facility. This initiative significantly increases the overall volume of recycled plastic, reducing the amount of plastic that is illegally disposed of or burned.
Project Description
Initial Situation
Tema New Town is a densely populated coastal area with an estimated population of around 160,000 inhabitants. A 2017 survey revealed that the average monthly income for residents is approximately 300 GHC (47 euros). The lack of organized waste collection has been attributed to residents' inability to pay for waste disposal services, leading to various coping strategies. Many residents hire informal small motorized tricycles for waste collection, while others resort to indiscriminate dumping along the coastline or burning their waste.
Waste that reaches landfills is often not sorted, which renders valuable materials, such as plastics, unrecyclable. In response to this pressing issue, the NGO Environment360 established the Pick-It Sorting Centre in Tema New Town to empower local waste pickers to collect and recycle plastic waste effectively.