Trashy Bag Products

The basic materials used in Trashy Bags are plastic sachets. Being cheaper and more convenient than plastic or glass bottles, the sachets have become greatly popular in Western Africa.  On average, Ghanaians drink 1-2 sachets of water every day. Further, milk, fruit juices and ice creams are sold in similar but opaque and thicker packaging.  The material of the sachets is high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is often referred to as type 2 plastic and it is a non-biodegradable material. It has become greatly popular in the packaging industry over the past several decades due to its favourable strength and thermal properties as well as its relatively easy recyclability into other types plastic

However, the conditions of West Africa, levels of education and lack of awareness of environmental issues lead to careless disposal of the sachets into the environment. There is no large-scale nationwide project related neither to collection of plastic nor to creating awareness of recycling. Over 250 tons of plastic packaging waste is produced in Ghana daily leading to (often very extreme) pollution of the streets, beaches or sewages. This not only hinders the views of the environment but more importantly negatively affects both fauna and flora of Ghana, or adds a significant share to the causes of seasonal flooding.

Recently, the material from discarded billboards was put in use to serve as a base for producing bags and accessories. This material would have been until now burned once not in use. Trashy Bags use them to create products that are each unique and one of their kind.

Other used materials include fabric and foam, all purchased in Ghana or other countries in Western Africa.