Alex Rose-Innes
In an effort not to experience a repetition of the devastation plastic waste creates, Wisdom Kafui Honu, not only honoured a friend who lost his life in a human-made tragedy, but embarked on a personal mission to combat climate change.
Honu, from Ghana, said that he realised people were not aware that it took many centuries for plastic waste to decompose in the soil. In establishing Coliba Ventures, his aim was to tackle the harmful effects of plastic products, lessen the damaging emissions and educate his country folk.
Coliba Ventures was established in Accra, Ghana and is the direct result of Honu’s personal tragedy. A friend who had been waiting to meet with Honu, died in an unexpected flash flood as a result of plastic-clogged drainage systems. Honu said that the fact that he was late for the meeting which probably saved his life, but the deadly torrent destroyed properties, swept cars away and saw people drowning on the street, one of which was his friend. More than 150 people died that day, exactly six years ago this month.
The devastated and shocked young man asked himself that instead of just mourning the passing of his friend, what he could do to stop a repetition of such devastating magnitude. Coliba Ventures was born as catalyst to plastic waste damage.
Wisdom said that it had been hard to change peoples’ mind-sets as they had become used to living with plastic and with poverty and lack of proper infrastructure, many Africans simply live in squalor without finding a way out of the decay. While Coliba Ventures started to collect plastic waste to recycle, Honu’s business idea was also used to educate people.
He said that he had to battle for many years to sell his idea to others, but today, Coliba Ventures is up and running and making a difference in the lives of many people in Ghana. The company offers vouchers for fuel or mobile internet credit in return for being part of his recycling drive. People are given an option of what type of incentive they should be rewarded with.
BLURB:
“Give us your plastic waste and we give you a voucher to fuel your car.” – Wisdom Honu’s sales pitch in an effort to ensure Ghanaians bought into his recycling concept.
For the poor, who had been living on less than $5 per day, a new sustainable income opened up. If people cannot transport their plastic waste to Coliba Ventures, Wisdom ensures it would be picked up, before being delivered to big recycling companies.
According to the country’s Environmental Protection Agency, almost 3 million metric tonnes of raw plastic are imported to Ghana every year with 73% ending up as waste. Less than 0.1% of this waste is recycled.
Wisdom realises that creating a plastic-free society could take a long time, but said that by starting and doing something small every day, the devastating trend could be reversed. And to him, it also means that his friend did not die in vain.
