"...she decided to see if she could create jobs for the poor and help the environment at the same time in a developing country where recycling is virtually nonexistent and garbage poses a serious health threat.
For now, her line of trash products consists mainly of bags, wallets and pencil cases made from the brightly colored soft plastic pouches that once contained beverages, fabric softener, detergent and soap. The project is adding backpacks, lunch boxes and computer cases made from empty toothpaste tubes.
Retail prices start at $1.20 and go up to $10, barely covering production costs, Wizer says. She pays scavengers about $1.50 per kilogram of trash, about six times what they can earn at the garbage dumps that dot Jakarta's surroundings.
A middleman takes a big cut but provides the scavengers free housing in tiny, squalid shacks sandwiched between a posh hotel and the elite international school in South Jakarta.
'I want to inject some money into this desperately poor segment of society,' Wizer says. 'I want them to be able to send their kids to school so that they won't have to scavenge.'"
Powerful idea for helping people and the environment. Okay church, let's think of cool things to do like this!
No comments:
Post a Comment