Trashy Bags Project

We make bags and accessories from plastic waste that are not only beautiful and practical but also completely unique.

We find the plastic in the streets of Ghana's capital city, Accra.

Plastic that is destroying the environment, discarded by a population that is unaware of its dangers.

As a manufacturer of consumer products we are told that it isn't cool to describe ourselves as 'edgy'. Apparently, only other people can call us that.

We disagree.

This is our story…

Based in Ghana, an emerging economy in West Africa, we export to countries in the developed world and yet we frequently have no electricity to run our sewing machines.

We had a generator but it became overworked and died.

Although we strive to improve the lives of our workers, many of them live in sub-standard housing and struggle to send their children to school.

Good healthcare is hard to find, infant mortality is seven times higher than in Europe and standards of education are among the worst in the world.

Hello from the edge.

This is our story.

This image was taken in Ghana's capital city, Accra, just a couple of miles from the Trashy Bags factory.

It is easy to forget that there are places in the world where people live and children play in such terrible conditions.

Poverty and deprivation are the main problems but pollution and especially plastic waste are worsening the situation.

Plastic drinking water sachets comprise a large proportion of the plastic that is destroying the environment. Because tap water in Ghana is unsafe to drink, water is mostly consumed from these small, low-cost, plastic sachets.

Once empty, however, the sachets are usually tossed on the ground as there is little infrastructure for waste disposal or an understanding of the problems plastic waste can cause.

Plastic dumped in the streets ends up blocking drains which leads to seasonal flooding and together with other inorganic waste finds its way to the sea or to large dump sites.

Left unattended, these dump sites can grow to such a size that they leave entire communities uninhabitable while also increasing the probability for the spread of disease.

Since 2007, Trashy Bags has collected and recycled over 25 million plastic drinking water sachets.

Every month nearly 200,000 plastic sachets are brought to the Trashy Bags factory by a network of local Ghanaians.

The money they earn from sachet collection is, for many, their only source of income.

Comprising 65% women, most of our team have been with Trashy Bags for many years. They like to think that they are also recycled just like the materials that they work with every day as many of them have come from other vocations. Some of them were hair stylists or street vendors. Our workshop manager was an archaeologist, our chief designer a footballer and our Managing Director was an architect!

Anastasia Lavie - Finisher

“I have been working since I was 8 years old, selling things on the street such as bread, water, fruit… anything really. I went to school 3 times a week and the other days I was out working to help support my family. I don’t really remember playing as a child but I remember seeing other children playing and wondering how they had the time to play. These children were the lucky ones with parents who had enough money to support their family.”

“I didn’t go to school very often due to lack of money to pay fees and often worked to help support my family. When I was about 15 I was brought to the capital, Accra, to live with my father who felt it was important I get back to school and learn. But my aunt decided I needed to be trained to work, not to play and have fun. This was my father’s eldest sister, meaning he could not disobey her and I was sent away again to live with her and was back on the streets selling water. “

“At the age of 18 I had the education level of a young child. My parents couldn’t afford school fees but I desperately wanted to go back to school, so any spare time that I had I went on the hunt for a school. I finally found one where I could learn upholstery, sewing and textiles. Suddenly I was on a path of hope and had a skill to offer and am now determined to give my own children a better childhood and a chance to be educated. Children need good memories, memories of playing and having fun, not working and being out of school.”

Eric Appiah - Finisher

“Originally I came to Accra because of an agreement made between my parents and a family who needed a house girl. I’d grown up in a village and so coming to the capital was very daunting and not something I’d ever imagined myself doing. I didn’t want to go but had no choice as the decision had been made for me.

Upon my return to my home village a few years later, it dawned on me what city life really was and I soon made plans to move back. Life in rural Ghana is hard and I knew if I was to ever succeed and earn any money I had to be in Accra. At the time I had no money but some friends I met at the church I attended in Accra, let me stay with them until I found a job. And this is how my life in Accra began. Eventually I found this job at Trashy Bags and I have been working here for the past six years “

Elizabeth Ntorm - Finisher

“Originally I came to Accra due to an agreement made between my parents and a family who needed a house girl. I’d grown up in a village and so coming to the capital was very daunting and not something I’d
ever imagined myself doing. I didn’t want to go but had no choice. The decision had been made.

Upon my return to my home village, a few years later, it dawned on me what city life really was and I soon made plans to move back. Life in rural Ghana is hard and I knew if I was to ever succeed and earn any money, I had to be in Accra. I had no money at the time but some friends I met at the church I attended in Accra, let me stay with them until I found a job. And this is how my life in Accra began and I eventually found this job at Trashy Bags where I have been for the past four years.“

Zenabu Dawda - Finisher

“I am at my happiest when I am able to give money to my elderly mother. She doesn’t have much and is getting old now so I am so happy I can continue to support her.”

“I love a sporty guy so was very excited when I met my footballer boyfriend! We are not married yet and as per tradition we are not allowed to live together until we are married so we meet at his football games to hang out.”

“My father is from Niger and came over here to work in the mines. My mother is from Ghana and so we do things both traditionally Ghanaian and Nigerien but as I have lived here all my life I’d say I’m officially Ghanaian.” I have worked at Trashy Bags for the past four years.

Mustapha Mohammed - Chief Financial Officer

“I am a Muslim but went to a Christian school. Even though we were forced to go to church, for me it was the best part of the week! We would sing, dance and be out of class for a few hours. It was like a party every week!”

“My father worked away from home a lot and I hardly saw him. I don’t remember missing him but I certainly looked forward to the day he returned because it meant mum would cook all our favourite things! So we’d (my sisters and brothers) sit and stare out the window waiting for him to arrive so we could eat all the delicious food we didn’t normally eat.”

“I was really naughty as a child and always got into trouble. If my mum ever saw a stranger approaching the house, she knew it was because I had done something!”

“As a young child I was good at selling things and I would help my mum sell on the streets. I always handled money and I think this had some impact on me as now I am an accountant and Chief Financial Officer at Trashy Bags!”

“We had one of the only TVs in the village so our house was always full of people wanting to watch movies and TV programmes. As it was black and white, my dad would often put a blue or red film over it to give it colour! To think back now that we would happily watch a movie all in blue or red makes me laugh.”

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