Ernest launched EazyWaste in 2017 after completing a degree in Health Administration and discovering how harmful plastic waste was to public health. The idea grew from his grandfather’s informal recycling work and the first crusher he used to collect plastic waste. Ernest saw how difficult it was for waste pickers to reach recycling centres and how transport costs destroyed their earnings. He shifted the model so recycling moved into the community rather than the other way around.
Local youth gather plastic waste at one of seven pick‑up points each week and get paid by the kilo, with cleaner, sorted plastic earning more. The material is delivered to the recycling site, sorted, cleaned, crushed and turned into usable pellets. Although the site processes about 4 tons per month, it has capacity for 4 tons per day, meaning one centre could process over 1,000 tons per year when fully operational.
Ghana imports over 2.58 million metric tonnes of raw plastic each year and more than 73 percent ends up as waste in landfills or the environment. Only a tiny fraction is recycled, contributing to pollution, flooding and public health risks . EazyWaste’s model tackles these issues by providing a sustainable and scalable solution that benefits communities, reduces waste and creates economic opportunity.
This grant funds a vehicle to collect and transport plastic more reliably since EazyWaste currently depends on hired trucks. With its own transportation, EazyWaste can collect from more communities at lower cost, increasing volume and moving closer to full capacity.
With improved transport, EazyWaste can collect more plastic from more communities, generating greater environmental impact and deeper community engagement. The model trains local youth in technical and business skills, increases incomes for community members, reduces plastic in the environment, and builds a foundation for scalable transformation.
