Circular Economy

Turning Waste Into Opportunity

Freetown, Sierra Leone English Sierra Leonean Leone
WT
Circular Economy

Training a waste company to run waste management innovation as a business

Dutch company The Waste Transformers, together with Masada, the largest waste processor in Freetown, has set up an AD unit (Anaerobic Digestion containers) at a Women’s hospital that can turn organic waste into biogas and fertilizer. Crosswise Works supports this by training the waste management company employees and young people who collect waste in entrepreneurial skills, so that working with the AD units becomes profitable and creates jobs.

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The Numbers

Stats & Progress

We like to keep track of our progress and overal impact:

42

Youth Trained

36

Employee & Stakeholder Trainings

27

Technical Operation Trainings

Video by The Waste Transformers © at Sierra Leone, Freetown
Details

The Main Activities

The Waste and Energy Challenge

The high rate of population growth, the rapid pace of urbanization and the economic growth of Sierra Leone are leading to increased and accelerating rates of municipal solid waste production without a sustainable solution. The demand for energy increases contributing to an aggravation of the problem. The waste produced in this city consists of mainly organic waste, 84% in total. Most of the waste ends up on the street, floods into the waterways, or is dumped on landfills, where it is left to rot and emits methane. By introducing the innovative Waste Transformer in Freetown, that can turn waste into energy, there is the potential to address the local waste and shortage of power problem at the same time

The Change

The first location where a Waste Transformer has been placed is next to a local women hospital, Aberdeen Women’s Centre. This clinic gives free medical and psychological care to the poorest and neediest women of Sierra Leone. The unit reduces the hospital's reliance on diesel generators, and it can power the hospital with this clean energy produced next door. The organic waste from the neighbourhood will be turned into clean electricity and will power part of the hospital's energy needs.

The Opportunity

The Waste Transformers, together with Crosswise Works, have provided capacity building to local partner Masada on running the digester as a business; association setup; and technical and operational training. These trainings increased the ability and know-how of dedicated Masada staff and partners to adapt to new practices in the waste management sector and thereby contributing to a number of social development goals for the good of Freetown citizens.

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partners

Working together with game changers in Sierra Leone

The training program for Masada Waste Company was implemented in cooperation with The Waste Transformers, and subsidised by the Nuffic Tailor Made Training Program.

11 MALOU VAN NIEUWKOOP
Responsible Impact Managers

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