The director of Njau Women Skill Training and Income
Generating Centre, Mrs Isatou Ceesay Trawalleh, has said that plastic bags are
hazardous materials because of their negative effects to human beings and the
environment when burned. Mrs Ceesay-Trawalleh made this remark in an interview
with The Point yesterday at her residence in Wellingara, Kombo North, Western
Region.
According to her, uncontrolled waste plastic bags dirty the environment and could be dangerous to livestock when they are consumed. She further stated that in order to maintain a clean environment by controlling the waste plastic bags that fly everywhere, a waste plastic bag recycling project has been established in Njau village in Central River Region north. According to her, the aim of the project is to empower women in acquiring livelihood skills in order for them to earn their living.
Mrs Ceesay Trawalleh further revealed the project was established in 1997 in collaboration with a Peace Corps volunteer in that community. Highlighting some of the achievements, Mrs Ceesay Trawalleh said that since 1997 the project has trained over 69 women on various skill disciplines such as waste plastic bags recycling, soap making, tie and dye etc, as training of trainers and they have trained hundreds of women in the past few years. Some of those trained now also run their own small enterprises and earn their living from the skills acquired.
She said for recycling of waste plastic bags, "we go out and collect waste empty plastic bags wash them and turn them into wallets, bags, door mats, table clothes etc which are sold out to the public." She also stated that despite the tremendous achievements realised by the project for the past few years, the project also faces constraints of mobility, she therefore appealed assistance. Madam Ceesay Trawalleh commended and urged the women to make best use of the centre as some pay their children's school fees and medical bills from the proceeds they earn from the centre.