Due to inappropriate disposal of plastic shopping bags in Nigeria, local streets, parks and playgrounds, markets and village squares are littered with plastic bags, leading to a large pollution problem. This project seeks to provide an alternative to plastic shopping bags by empowering young people to create a social enterprise to create reusable shopping bags from used clothing, in turn educating community members on the benefits of reducing plastic bag usage through purchasing a resuable bags
Communities have little awareness on the pollution created by discarding plastic bags, or information on how to properly dispose polyethylene (nylon) materials. More so, as plastic bags take approximately about 20-30 years to completely decompose in the soil, pollution also leads to degradation of arable farmland, leading to poor harvest.
10 youth aged 13-17 will be trained on how to make reusable shopping bags from old clothes and will sell these bags and educate community members on the environmental impact of discarding plastic shopping bags. More so, youth will conduct one-on-one meetings with community members and school groups on proper plastic waste management.
Through this youth-led social enterprise, selling reusable shopping bags will contribute towards a reduction in environmental pollution and degradation in community spaces, and help develop a public consciousness on the importance of environmental stewardship.
