BAMENDA, Cameroon (GPI)-- Constance Gubong Tangu, 56, was tired of seeing plastic waste clog the streets and streams of Bamenda, the capital of Cameroon’s Northwest region. So in 2010, Tangu, a teacher and craftswoman, became an environmental entrepreneur when she decided to transform the city’s waste into jewelry. Waste management is a serious problem in Bamenda, Tangu says. Households and businesses produce enormous amounts of waste, then burn it in public or throw it into backyards and streams. “Waste management, especially management of plastic waste, is a big problem because of the adverse effects of plastic wastes on our health and on environment,” she says. “But I considered the problem and thought of what contribution I can make towards a sustainable solution.” So she and four friends started the New Era Foundation in 2010. The organization oversees several environmental projects in Bamenda and trains women to produce jewelry from recycled paper and plastic. Many communities in Cameroon struggle with waste management, especially in cities like Bamenda. Tangu and other groups of women in the city have taken matters into their own hands through their creative reuse of plastic waste. “Producing jewelry and other articles from paper and plastic waste is our own contribution to taking care of our environment,” says Tangu, the coordinator of New Era Foundation. “The waste in town is too much.” Through their arts and crafts workshops and training programs, they are turning the waste into wealth while empowering local women economically, she says. The large output of trash overwhelms the city’s resources, says Julie Chambi, the garbage management official on the Bamenda City Council. “For now, there is more waste generated in Bamenda than the city council can effectively collect and dispose of,” she says. “We don’t yet have enough authorized dumping sites, and most households are located off the main streets that are inaccessible to our garbage collection vans.” This creates environmental pollution and health hazards, Tangu says. “Some of the waste is disposed of by the city council,” she says. “But most of it is burnt or thrown in backyards and streams.” The plastic waste that accumulates around Bamenda collects water and becomes a breeding ground for mosquitos that spread malaria, she says. So Tangu and the trainees at the New Era Foundation visit hair salons, offices and garbage dumps to collect their materials, she says. First, they clean and dry the waste. Then, they cut, roll and process the paper and plastic into place mats, jewelry, bags and other accessories. Not only does the initiative benefit the environment, but it also empowers local women, she says. “At the center, we train women and girls for free on how to clean the environment and also how to create wealth from waste,” she says. “None of the trainees pay a dime for the training. Each lady who produces an article has her name labeled on it, and she gets a percentage from the sales.” Some of the trainees earn up to 25,000 Central African francs ($50) weekly by selling their work, Tangu says. This makes up nearly 20 percent of their income. Her center has trained 12 women since it opened in 2010, she says. The women take at least three months to complete the training. Afterward, many establish their own jewelry and crafts shops in Bamenda. Rosina Langwa is the founder of Women Initiative of Natural Innovation, another local organization that teaches women to create art from plastic waste.
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