About this project
Project Abstract: Plastic to Craftism, Transforming Plastic waste into art
Plastic to Craftism is a creative community-based initiative focused on transforming plastic waste into functional and artistic crafts. This project empowers women, youth, and children as key change makers, encouraging them to engage in sustainable design, creative expression, and environmental stewardship. By collecting, sorting, and repurposing discarded plastics such as bottles, straws, sacks, and containers, Plastic to Craftism aims to reduce environmental pollution, promote eco-conscious behavior, and foster innovation. At its core, the initiative merges plastic recycling with education, offering community members opportunities to gain practical skills, generate income, and deepen their understanding of environmental issues through hands-on learning and awareness campaigns.
Project Background:
Urban areas like Kampala especially the slums face growing challenges related to plastic waste mismanagement. Improper disposal of plastics contributes to blocked drainage systems, flash floods, disease outbreaks, and widespread environmental degradation particularly affecting vulnerable people in the community such as women and children. Despite the urgent need for change, many communities lack access to structured environmental education and sustainable alternatives.
Plastic to Craftism responds to this need by turning plastic pollution into a tool for empowerment and education. Through the creative reuse of plastic waste, participants not only develop useful decorative crafts like bags, mats, dustbins, laundry baskets and decorations, but also gain environmental knowledge that inspires long-term behavior change. The project connects environmental awareness with practical action, fostering a culture of sustainability within underserved communities.
Objectives:
1. Reduce plastic waste: Repurpose at least 10 tons of plastic waste within six months through organized collection and reuse.
2. Empower community members especially women and youth: Train and support 100 individuals (primarily women and youth both in the schools and community) in sustainable craft-making, entrepreneurship, and eco-literacy.
3. Raise environmental awareness: Reach at least 1000 people through educational workshops, school activities, and community exhibitions focusing on plastic pollution and sustainability.
4. Promote economic opportunities: Enable participants to create and sell handcrafted products from plastics as a means of income and self-sustainability.
5. Inspire lifelong learning: Introduce environmental education , including topics such as recycling, pollution prevention, and climate responsibility, prepared for schools and community groups.
Project Implementation:
Plastic to Craftism will partner with schools, youth centers, community organizations, artisans, and local waste management companies to mobilize resources and implement project activities. Participants will learn to collect, clean, and sort plastics, transforming them into a variety of eco-friendly crafts like bags, floor mats, laundry baskets, and decorative pieces.
Educational workshops will run alongside skill-building sessions, introducing participants to environmental topics such as the lifecycle of plastic, the dangers of pollution, and the importance of sustainability. Schools will be engaged through curriculum-aligned eco-lessons, art competitions, and student-led projects.
Public exhibitions and interactive displays will showcase the finished crafts and deliver key environmental messages. A digital campaign will amplify the project’s reach through social media storytelling, how-to videos, and environmental advocacy content.
To ensure long-term impact, the project will work closely with local leaders to establish a sustainability committee responsible for maintaining awareness programs and training future participants.
Community Impact
Plastic to Craftism delivers both environmental and social benefits. By transforming plastic waste into meaningful products, the project improves local waste management, reduces pollution, and encourages sustainable living. Through education, it shifts mindsets especially among the younger generation toward valuing environmental protection and creative problem-solving.
Women gain new skills and income opportunities, youth become agents of change through learning and leadership, and entire communities unite around shared ecological goals. The project also enhances community resilience by fostering collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and pride in local innovation.
It also serves as a long-term educational platform, offering ongoing workshops, outreach programs, and school partnerships that promote sustainability in everyday life.
Conclusion:
Plastic to Craftism is more than a recycling initiative it is a movement at the intersection of art, education, and environmental justice. By combining creative plastics reuse with community-based environmental education, the project empowers participants to turn plastic waste into value and awareness into action. Through collective effort and learning, it envisions cleaner cities, more informed citizens, and a vibrant culture of sustainability driven by creativity, knowledge, and community pride.
Goals and Objectives
Main goal
The goal of Plastic to Craftism is to reduce plastic pollution while empowering youth and women through creative plastics reuse and sustainable craft-making .
Key objectives;
1.Collecting and repurposing at least 10 tons of plastic waste in six months.
2.Training and equipping at least 100 unemployed women and youth with skills in eco-friendly craft production.
3.Raising awareness about plastic pollution and sustainability among at least 1000 community members especially school children, youth and community members and groups through exhibitions, school programs, and workshops.
4.Creating income-generating opportunities through the sale of crafts made from recycled plastics.
Intended beneficiaries:
The primary beneficiaries are unemployed women, out-of-school youth, and school children in urban slum communities of Kampala. These groups were chosen due to their vulnerability to the environmental and economic effects of plastic pollution. Women and youth often face high unemployment rates, and children are particularly impacted by unsafe, polluted environments.
By participating in the project, they gain practical skills, environmental knowledge, and opportunities to generate income improving their livelihoods and fostering community pride.
Sustainability and scale-up potential:
The project is designed for long-term impact by promoting community ownership, ongoing skills development, and income generation. Crafts made from plastic waste can be sold to support both individual artisans and future project activities. Partnerships with schools, Community Based Organizations, and local businesses ensure continued support and visibility.
With a low-cost initiative, open training resources, and strong local partnerships, this project can easily be scaled up and extended to other neighborhood underserved communities facing similar waste management challenges. This project combines environmental action with creativity and youth empowerment making it adaptable and impactful across diverse communities.
Expected result
1. Collection and repurposing of plastic waste
Specific: Collect and repurpose 10 tons of plastic waste from target communities especially the slum communities in Kampala.
Measurable: Quantities of waste collected will be recorded by weight at collection centers and sorting centers.
Achievable: With support from local waste collectors, youth volunteers, and community drives, this target is practical and realistic.
Relevant: Tackles the core issue of plastic pollution in urban areas.
Time-Bound: To be completed within the first 6 months of project implementation.
Monitoring: Collection logs and waste tracking forms will be maintained weekly.
2. Skills training and job creation
Specific: Train 100 unemployed youth and women in eco-craft production and environmental entrepreneurship.
Measurable: Attendance registers, pre/post-training evaluations, and the number of products created.
Achievable: The project team includes experienced artisans and facilitators, ensuring quality training delivery.
Relevant: Addresses youth unemployment and women’s economic empowerment.
Time-Bound: Training will be completed within 3 months, with ongoing support in the following months.
Monitoring: Training assessments, participant feedback forms, and product output will be tracked.
3. Awareness and community engagement
Specific: Reach 1000 individuals through environmental awareness campaigns, workshops, and exhibitions.
Measurable: Number of participants recorded at each event, along with feedback surveys and visual documentation.
Achievable: Using schools, community centers, and social media ensures a broad reach.
Relevant: Increases community understanding of sustainability and waste reduction.
Time-Bound: To be achieved within the first 4 months, with continued outreach thereafter.
Monitoring: Sign-in sheets, engagement metrics, social media analytics, and participant surveys.
4. Product development and income generation
Specific: Create and sell at least 200 finished craft items from recycled plastic.
Measurable: Sales records, inventory logs, and income reports.
Achievable: Trainees will be supported in production and given access to local and online markets.
Relevant: Supports economic self-reliance and sustainability of the project.
Time-Bound: Products will be created and sold within 6 months.
Monitoring: Sales tracking sheets and periodic business coaching sessions.
Monitoring Capacity: The project will be monitored by a youth-led project team trained in data collection, evaluation, and reporting. Tools will include: Weekly tracking forms, Monthly progress reports, Participant surveys, Community feedback as well as Sales and production logs.
We will also hold bi-monthly reflection sessions to evaluate progress, address challenges, and adjust our approach as needed. The use of photos, videos, and social media content will provide visual evidence of impact.
About me / organisation
Atim Sally Ruth and Namaganda Majorine
Project lead:
The initiative is spearheaded by Atim Sally Ruth, a 30-year-old environmental advocate and community organizer. Her role involves overseeing project activities, coordinating partnerships, supervising the team, and ensuring timely achievement of goals. She also serves as the main liaison with stakeholders, donors, and community leaders.
Co-lead:
She is supported by Majorine Namaganda, a 27 year old dedicated environmental advocate with strong experience in community sensitization and youth empowerment. Majorine plays a key role in leading community outreach, engaging schools and local groups, and mobilizing young people to participate in waste management and craft-making initiatives. Her advocacy background strengthens the project’s ability to build awareness and drive behavioral change within communities.
Team Structure:
Together, we work with a core team of five youth members who oversee specific areas: waste collection coordination, craft training facilitation, marketing and sales, and monitoring & evaluation. This collaborative leadership model empowers team members to take ownership of their responsibilities while contributing to collective decision-making.
Experience:
Sally brings over five years of experience leading environmental projects, including a plastic recycling initiative in Kampala that mobilized 300 youth and diverted tons of waste from the environment. She has facilitated workshops on upcycling and climate education in schools and communities. Majorine complements this with her strong background in environmental advocacy, particularly in grassroots mobilization and climate awareness campaigns.