Moving along the streets of Bepanda Douala in Cameroon, you would find stuffed gutters, PET bottles fighting alongside pieces of plastic wraps to take a breath in the open slimy tributaries struggling sullenly to meet up the others at the Wouri estuary. That is what we see daily as we struggle pass the tiny paths dotted with potholes as bikes hustling their way with cars as two-legged creatures fight their way for space.
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Douala is Cameroon’s economic capital and one of the most populated cities in the country. Garbage is one thing that is very common in this city. You can’t describe Douala leaving out the filth. The dirt you fine along the street, in the gutters, in streams, behind houses, etc. is a characteristics of the city. The garbage management company seems non-existent. The inhabitants have little or no idea what garbage management is all about. Few entrepreneurs are hustle and bustle in the heat to squeeze out fortunes from the filth around.
Protype by NAMé Recycling
This last part is what I am going to talk about. We all see these garbage daily, but we don’t know that it can be turned into cash. I once read somewhere that “there is gold in Garbageria”. I have done a lot of research in this Garbage Kingdom which I will be sharing with you from time-to-time. It wont only help you make some extra cash, but help keep our environment clean. Let’s start with the most common one that we can find on the streets of Douala:
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1. Plastic wraps
Photo Credit: Girl Meets Ghana
Plastic bags are non-biodegradable, yet we use them everyday. It has taken the government of Cameroon forever to stop its importation. Since they are not biodegradable and takes hundreds of years to decompose, the best way to get rid of it is ensuring that they are put to use again.
The bags can be given to a local recycling company as well as you can use them at home to make crafts so that they don’t end up in the landfill. Plastic bag recycling centers are not very common in Cameroon, so this could be a good investment opportunity for those who have been looking for business ideas. Check out these homemade crafts using plastic bags (coming soon).
2. Plastic or PET bottles
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Photo Credit: inhabitat
Keeping your surrounding clean from plastics is of great benefit to your community. Recycling PET bottles may not only benefit your environment but help you have an extra money. Plastic bottles are one of the easiest things to recycle for money. There are recycle centers in Douala that pay you by weight or the number of plastic or PET bottles you turn in. The PET bottles can also be recycled at home. You can transform them into crafts, for storage and so on. All these will make it not end up in the landfills and save our gutters and streams blockages and eventual floods. Checkout how you can make money recycling PET bottles (coming soon).
Read Also:Cameroon: Entrepreneur Manufactures Canoes With Plastic Bottles
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3. Used car tires
You can find them all over the place especially at mechanic and tire repair shops. Most middle income car owners usually go for used car tires in Cameroon. This tires end up along the road sides when their second life is already wasted. This means they can no longer be re-purposed. This doesn’t mean they are not useful. Old tires have loads of uses. I can remember we even used it as a toy when we were small. It can be used to make swings, chairs, flower pots, garden planters, and many more. Checkout these used tire recycle ideas for cash if you need a recycle business idea (coming soon).
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4. Wood scrap
Image Credit: Zaksspeed Shop
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https://www.mylovelyafrica.com/cameroon-entrepreneur-manufactures-canoes-plastic-bottles/
Wood waste is relatively easy to recycle. It has many uses and can easily be made valuable. Most of the time, we use it as fuel which is good but may not be okay for our environment and health. However, there are many ways you can add value to that old chair of yours in the house; the sawdust leftover which is usually burnt by sawmill owners because they don’t have where they can store them. That’s money being burnt while destroying our Eco-system. I will be sharing with you some wood-chip recycling ideas which you can try to earn an income.
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5. Paper
Image credit: Pruddie Fanka
Paper is also a recyclable material though it may not have that much worth for an average household. Paper can be recycled at home for decorations. For an average household, paper recycling for money may not be worthy enough. However, there are many other ways paper can be recycled for money. Stay in touch with our us for updates.
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6. Old clothes
Image Source: Kidspace Stuff
Let’s be honest here – do you put on all the dresses you have at home? It is common for us to keep old outfits after we’ve stopped wearing them. It makes no sense keeping this when we can donate or sell to make some extra cash. This could be sold in a secondhand store or even done online. The ones that could no longer be worn could be put to other uses than letting it end up in the landfill. Checkout this post and stay updated for I will be sharing with you tips on how to make extra cash recycling old clothes.
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7. Old computers
Image Credit: Chad Hauris
This is our surprise for the day. You may have that old Pentium II, III, or IV computer in the house, store, garage and know not what to do with it because technology has rendered it obsolete. There is always a way to give it live and make it productive again. What I mean here is bringing back that old machine to look like a modern machine whereby yo can do whatever you do with modern machines with all ease.
Checkout this post to see how your machine can be brought back to live using Free and Open Source operating systems. Linux has more than 300 operating systems designed to suit various types of machines. AlliedTechie is doing a great job by transforming this machines or letting you donate them to other families who could not afford a PC.
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The list is long and we will be updating as we discover more. Don’t hesitate to leave a comment below if you have experience in recycling for money or for keeping the environment clean. We are at your disposal if you need help starting a recycling business. Just get in touch with us. Don’t forget to share with friends and families.
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