Trashy Bags Africa: Sachet Waste Sewn Into Style

Trashy Bags Africa buys used 'pure water' sachets from a network of street collectors, then washes and stitches them into tote bags, purses, raincoats and school supplies sold locally and internationally. Since launching in 2007 the workshop has recycled tens of millions of sachets that would otherwise clog drains and pollute the coast, while giving informal waste pickers and local seamstresses steady income. The craft-based model has been highlighted as an approach to Ghana's sachet-water pollution crisis, in a country generating over a million tonnes of plastic packaging waste annually.