Introduction and Rationale
Problem statement to issues around waste management, waste pickers & Carbon emissions
Last updated
Problem statement to issues around waste management, waste pickers & Carbon emissions
Last updated
Waste is one of the most persistent pollutants on Earth. It's made to last - and it does, often for 400 years or more. And at every step in its lifecycle, even long after it has been discarded, plastic creates greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to the warming of our world.
For instance, In Dar es salaam, Tanzania and most African cities, 95% of plastic waste is mismanaged, out of which 40% is collected and only 4% recycled into reusable material. The world's growing production of plastics - about 100 million tons annually. By 2050, plastic production is expected to have tripled, it will be responsible for up to 13% of our planet's total carbon budget - on a par with what 615 (coal-fired) power stations emit.
Almost all plastic is derived from materials (like ethylene and propylene) made from fossil fuels (mostly oil and gas). The process of extracting and transporting those fuels, then manufacturing plastic creates billions of tons of greenhouse gasses. For example, 4% of the world's annual petroleum production is diverted to making plastic, and another 4% gets burned in the refining process.
Waste pickers are a crucial part towards making sure plastic does not come back into the environment. However in developing countries, many various challenges such as:
Unfavourable income for the hard work they do. Waste pickers earn an average of 300 Tsh per kg of plastic which is far below the amount of work and plastic they offset everday. This is due to prices being fictated by major recycling players.
Volatility in prices. Average prices change everyday ranging from $0.1 (200 TSh to 400 Tsh) per kg. One day it could be 400 Tsh, the following could be 200Tsh which makes it very difficult to plan.
Poor perception towards them. Many people view wastepickers as jobless with nothing to offer in the society; often being perceived as thugs, thieves. Which is contrary to the case as many families, especially women use plastic waste picking as a job to feed their families.
Lack of basic needs such as health insurance, access to micro-credit loans
Another major challenge facing many eco startups is the lack of recognition for their work they are doing in reducing carbon and tackling climate change. At Chatafisha, we believe this is a necessity to fuel back positive sum benefits. to enhance efforts on the ground for communities actually doing the work. But this is only made possible through verifiable information that can be accessed and verified by a third party globally. We champion the use of digital tools for verification such as dMRV as well as on ground stewardship to ensure additionality and actual sequestration from the environment.
Corporate Organizations, CSR & ESG departments also have the obligation to offset their carbon footprints and more often are not sure of the eligibility of projects and initiatives they support. Through Chatafisha, they now have the option to offset their footprints through verified and registered waste pickers, where they can fund / provide liquidity and transparently see how much is being offset on a day to day basis.
