Nelson Boateng and 5 other Ghanaians building houses… – Yen.com.gh | NutSocia

• Many Ghanaian business owners and social entrepreneurs are helping to tackle the plastic pollution threat in Ghana by turning plastic waste into usable products
• While some build houses, others turn waste into fuel, bags, and furniture, among other things
• YEN.com.gh highlights six Ghanaian entrepreneurs and environmentalists who are turning plastic waste into gold

Ghanaian social enterprise owners or businesses that focus on the environment are helping to tackle plastic pollution by turning plastic waste into usable products.

In addition to building homes, others are turning plastic waste into clothing, fuel, furniture and, more recently, prosthetic arms.

Ghana generates about 840,000 tons of plastic waste annually – and about 9.5 percent of that is collected for recycling, Weforum said.

Plastic pollution is the accumulation of synthetic plastic products in the environment to the point that they cause problems for wildlife and their habitats, as well as human populations.

But entrepreneurs with a passion for tackling plastic waste or pollution and their myriad social challenges across the nation are turning them into viable products. They hire waste collectors to collect plastic waste to turn it into bags, shoes, clothes, furniture, fuel, and other needed products for home and office use, among other things.

YEN.com.gh compiled a list of entrepreneurs and creatives who are making the gold out of plastic waste.

1. Ghanaian business owner Nelson Boateng builds houses from plastic waste:

In 2021, Ghanaian innovator Nelson Boateng grabbed national attention for building affordable homes with discarded plastic for low-income workers in the country.

Ghana’s housing deficit is 1.8 million, the Ghana Statistical Service said. Boateng has developed a concept to help in the situation.

2. Paul Coffie Beboru built houses out of plastic waste:

The young Ghanaian in his 30s builds houses out of plastic waste when he started working at a waste recycling company after school. He researched companies already doing what he wanted and found similar projects in Kenya, Israel and Nigeria, among others.

He adds clay to the plastic trash bottles during construction, which makes the houses fireproof, earthquake-proof, and bulletproof.

3. Talented KNUST student converts plastic bottles into fuel to power machines:

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) student Emmanuel Kojo Nimo converted plastic bottles into diesel. He said he decided to start producing fuel to counter the frequent spikes in fuel prices due to Ghana’s economic turmoil.

Nimo revealed in an interview that its diesel can be used to power diesel machines, including vehicles. However, he said the product has yet to be approved by the Ghana Standards Authority, GSA.

4: Ghanaian fashion designers Elisha Ofori Bamfo and his brother Calvin Bill create unique and sustainable designs from waste materials:

Fast-rising Ghanaian fashion designers Elisha Ofori Bamfo and his brother Calvin Bill create unique and sustainable designs from waste materials.

The two young fashion designers have been part of the country’s fashion scene for some time, creating colorful and eye-catching clothes from waste materials such as plastic and broken mirrors. The duo has become known for their signature and enduring creations.

5: Ghanaian engineer-ing. Emmanuel Wireko-Brobby makes artificial arms for amputees out of plastic waste:

Ing. Emmanuel Wireko-Brobby, Chief Clinical Engineer and Technologist at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, introduced another breakthrough innovation.

The visionary Ghanaian pro made prosthetic arms out of plastic waste, which he says can be made with less than GH¢20. The intervention is Wireko-Brobby’s contribution to the growth of society as it curbs plastic pollution while serving as a major humanitarian concern.

6: Makafui Awuku from Ghana makes 2000 reusable bags from plastic waste for shoppers in Accra:

Ghanaian environmentalist and sustainability expert Makafui Awuku and his team made reusable shopping bags from recycled plastic waste

Mckingtorch Africa CEO and his team processed over 400,000 plastic waste recovered from the environment into reusable bags.

The creative and social entrepreneur announced in a LinkedIn post that the commendable initiative is a pilot project funded by the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions with the support of Ghana’s Ministry of Environmental Science, Technology and Innovation and the Coordination Center of the Basel Convention for Africa funded in Nigeria.

Talented woman transforms bag of pure water into beautiful dress

In the meantime, YEN.com.gh previously reported that Africa has a problem with plastic waste pollution, but some creatives are helping to turn them into viable products to meet the growing threat.

Adejoke Lasisi, a Nigerian creative working in the environmental sector, used pure water to transform trash bags into a colorful dress.

Source: YEN.com.gh