From trash to totes: A Senegal waste transformation story

The plastic waste problem

Around the world, plastic waste continues to be a big problem. In Senegal, per the Ministry of Urban Planning, an average of 250,000 metric tons of plastic waste are discarded each year. Worse, only 12 percent of that is recycled or transformed.

In one town in eastern Senegal, small, sealed plastic bags containing drinking water, called sachets, make up a large portion of non-hazardous waste, and are an ongoing headache for Unité de Coordination de la Gestion des Dechets Solides (UCG, the national private/public waste management organization). During the rainy season, used water sachets clog drainage systems and create standing pools of water where malaria-harboring mosquitoes breed. Water sachets are also often burned in trash piles, releasing hazardous toxins. Despite these problems, water sachets remain an integral part of daily life; they are easily accessible to street vendors, cheaper to purchase than water bottles, and can be stored compactly, making them a convenient and useful alternative for communities without reliable access to safe drinking water.

A project to creatively reuse plastic waste

Jordan S. and I have been serving as Community Economic Development Volunteers in two different cities in eastern Senegal. We collaborate with a range of community organizations and small business to promote entrepreneurship and empower youth. As part of our program, we were encouraged to look at waste management. We wanted to find a creative way to address the plastic waste problem and also engage the local community.

The idea for a project emerged from research Jordan conducted at his site. The community expressed an interest in buying tote bags crafted from recycled water sachets. After hearing about this idea, I shared it with the leadership team at the Center for Women’s Professional Development (CRETEF), a trade school where I was already conducting an entrepreneurship training. CRETEF leadership loved the idea and encouraged me to discuss logistics with the sewing professors. From there, we secured a date to hold the workshop. In preparation for the workshop, Jordan and I discovered and shared other examples of successful waste transformation businesses in Nigeria and Uganda, where school bags and other items were created using discarded single-use plastics.

Senegal is well known for its beautiful fabrics. Textiles are so important that they were even used as currency in the past. In our cities we saw how locally made cloth bags were an attractive and environmentally friendly alternative to single-use plastic bags. We were inspired to go one step further. Specifically, we wanted to incorporate used water sachets into the design and fabrication of tote bags made from local fabrics; plastic liners would allow tote bag users to place ice inside to keep items like fish or meat cold. Our goal was to inspire community members to use their existing sewing skills to address the local waste problem and jumpstart social entrepreneurship in their communities.

Organizing the first workshop

CRETEF had ample space, resources, and experience in hosting trainings. Working alongside the school director and senior faculty members we developed a plan to host a daylong workshop in CRETEF’s sewing rooms, where each participant would learn to sew a water-sachet-lined tote bag.

Leading up to the training, Jordan and I worked closely with local partners and high schools to collect, wash, and dry water sachets. We aimed for 300 and ended up collecting over 500 sachets. Jordan and I then sourced the fabrics from the local market. The total cost of fabric to construct nearly 20 bags was around 15,000 XOF (about 25 USD). The sanitized and cut plastic bags supplied from the local high school were free, as were the sewing thread, supplementary materials, and sewing machines, which CRETEF provided. Participants, mainly second- and third-year CRETEF students, were selected based on their sewing skill.

Learning to make tote bags

The teacher for a tailoring course at CRETEF led the workshop, held on May 11, 2024. The young female students followed along eagerly as we explained the steps. First, they measured and cut the fabric for the handles and the body of the bag. Then they sewed the plastic water sachets into sheets matching the dimensions of the handles and body. Once the plastic liner was sewn onto the fabric and the two sides of the body were sewn together (with the plastic lining on the inside), the bag began to emerge. The bag handles were folded and sewn shut with the plastic lining on the inside. The body was then turned inside out, and handles sewn onto the outer rim. Final stitches were made to reinforce the handles, and the bag was complete.

A sense of accomplishment

In the end, 19 young women made 19 beautiful bags, and each woman was proud of her accomplishment. Each bag bears a unique and creative touch from the aspiring young female entrepreneur-tailor. A few days later, when I checked in, participants had managed to halve the time it took them to produce a bag. In the future, Jordan and I plan to host the workshop in a format that gives participants more creative freedom and supports them in potentially starting their own businesses specializing in upcycled fabric bags, toiletry bags or backpacks. Unique branding could also be explored.

Before we end our service in May 2025, we are planning a follow-up workshop during "Waste Transformation Week" in the fall 2024 semester. As the Wolof adage goes, “Nio far (We are together)!”

Note: Starting in August 2024, CED Volunteers have been integrated into Peace Corps Senegal’s remaining three programs: Agriculture, Environment, and Health. Appreciating that CED Volunteer skills are critical for all programs, moving forward, all communities with Peace Corps Volunteers will be able to benefit from the entrepreneurial, leadership, and management skills exemplified by Holden and Jordan’s initiatives.