Prime
Turning waste into wealth
Some of the products made out of straws and waste paper produced by members of Our Lady of Charity, Kamwokya. PHOTO BY Proscovia Nansubuga.
What you need to know:
Packs of neatly sorted garbage stand by the gate of a lavish bungalow along Nansana Road.
It is 10 o’clock in the morning and as if remotely controlled, many other gates swing open and similar packs are discharged and put by the roadside.
Apparently the swift move is triggered by the bellowing sound of the garbage-pickup truck that distinctly stands out of the general traffic as it draws nearer to collect the garbage for onward distribution to different consumers who use the waste as a raw material for their cottage industries.
“They are doing a great job for us. Each household pays Shs2,500 per week… and therefore Shs10,000 per month. We signed a six months contract with them to collect garbage from our gates every Tuesday. We are no longer worried about where and how to dispose it off.”
“Our duty is to sort the garbage; put the plastics in one bag, biodegradables in another and the same for glasses” a neatly dressed lady with a checked apron volunteers an explanation as I muse over the highly coordinated operation.
Sameul Ssenyange, the proprietor of the door to door garbage - pickup business says he does not regret the choice of starting such an enterprise.
“After graduating and failing to get employed for over three years, I and two of my other colleagues opted to start this business to primarily make a living….”
“…soon it became evident that our work was also destined to save the residents of Nansana Town Council the challenge that comes with the reckless waste disposal but most important the ever increasing volumes of garbage produced within the town council.” Ssenyange says.
He adds the waste collecting company, registered as Wisdom and Insight investment, employs more than 15, the bulk of whom are youth.
Ssenyange is hopeful that the business is destined to grow when they start to implement the knowledge and skills acquired during a seven - month entrepreneur training organised by Living Earth Uganda and conducted by Makerere University Business School, together with The Open College Network of London.
Using funds from the European Commission, Living Earth Uganda recruited two leaners from 40 groups of entrepreneurs dealing in waste management operating in Rubaga, Kawempe and Nansana Town Councils and took them through four modules of Advertising, Packaging, Safety and Health and Lobbying.
The extensive course was highly vocational giving the learners an opportunity to do practical assignments in their various fields.
Rose Namutebi Mulumba, the Living Earth-Uganda’s project manager says Rubaga and Kawempe represent the highly populated urban council generating lots of waste while Nansana represented the rural peri-urban councils.
“The tailor made training was designed to empower waste management based entrepreneurs with entrepreneurial skills that can help them to improve on the benefits from their businesses but remain safe from the hazards that come with handling wastes. The other goal is to increase production of waste based products and learn how to market them.”
This, she adds will motivate the entrepreneurs to expand their enterprises but also to attract more investors into such initiatives and consequently reducing the waste burden even further.
“The quality assurance course for example empowers us with skills to improve and maintain the quality of our charcoal briquettes so that we give our customers value for money,” Says Calvin Matovu who represented Kyebando Tusobola Youth Initiative in the training. [email protected]
Packs of neatly sorted garbage stand by the gate of a lavish bungalow along Nansana Road.
It is 10 o’clock in the morning and as if remotely controlled, many other gates swing open and similar packs are discharged and put by the roadside.
Apparently the swift move is triggered by the bellowing sound of the garbage-pickup truck that distinctly stands out of the general traffic as it draws nearer to collect the garbage for onward distribution to different consumers who use the waste as a raw material for their cottage industries.
“They are doing a great job for us. Each household pays Shs2,500 per week… and therefore Shs10,000 per month. We signed a six months contract with them to collect garbage from our gates every Tuesday. We are no longer worried about where and how to dispose it off.”
“Our duty is to sort the garbage; put the plastics in one bag, biodegradables in another and the same for glasses” a neatly dressed lady with a checked apron volunteers an explanation as I muse over the highly coordinated operation.
Sameul Ssenyange, the proprietor of the door to door garbage - pickup business says he does not regret the choice of starting such an enterprise.
“After graduating and failing to get employed for over three years, I and two of my other colleagues opted to start this business to primarily make a living….”
“…soon it became evident that our work was also destined to save the residents of Nansana Town Council the challenge that comes with the reckless waste disposal but most important the ever increasing volumes of garbage produced within the town council.” Ssenyange says.
He adds the waste collecting company, registered as Wisdom and Insight investment, employs more than 15, the bulk of whom are youth.
Ssenyange is hopeful that the business is destined to grow when they start to implement the knowledge and skills acquired during a seven - month entrepreneur training organised by Living Earth Uganda and conducted by Makerere University Business School, together with The Open College Network of London.
Using funds from the European Commission, Living Earth Uganda recruited two leaners from 40 groups of entrepreneurs dealing in waste management operating in Rubaga, Kawempe and Nansana Town Councils and took them through four modules of Advertising, Packaging, Safety and Health and Lobbying.
The extensive course was highly vocational giving the learners an opportunity to do practical assignments in their various fields.
Rose Namutebi Mulumba, the Living Earth-Uganda’s project manager says Rubaga and Kawempe represent the highly populated urban council generating lots of waste while Nansana represented the rural peri-urban councils.
“The tailor made training was designed to empower waste management based entrepreneurs with entrepreneurial skills that can help them to improve on the benefits from their businesses but remain safe from the hazards that come with handling wastes. The other goal is to increase production of waste based products and learn how to market them.”
This, she adds will motivate the entrepreneurs to expand their enterprises but also to attract more investors into such initiatives and consequently reducing the waste burden even further.
“The quality assurance course for example empowers us with skills to improve and maintain the quality of our charcoal briquettes so that we give our customers value for money,” Says Calvin Matovu who represented Kyebando Tusobola Youth Initiative in the training.
