trash – Generation Change https://blogs.dw.com/generationchange Whether they are campaigning for free press in Zimbabwe, helping provide clean water in India, or offering free music lessons to underprivileged kids in the UK, young people all over the world are making a difference. Wed, 16 Nov 2016 16:49:27 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 Bhutan’s ‘trash guy’ https://blogs.dw.com/generationchange/2013/09/bhutans-trash-guy/ Tue, 17 Sep 2013 12:26:28 +0000 http://blogs.dw.com/generationchange/?p=3959 Karma Yonten calls himself a “trash guy,” and one thing is certain: He is enthusiastic about waste. Growing up in Bhutan, a small, not very densely populated Himalayan kingdom, 29-year-old Karma never imagined himself working with garbage. There simply wasn’t any when he was young. But the country is developing fast, which opened up Karma to the idea of starting Bhutan’s first private waste management firm in 2010.
Now he teaches other people in his country all about recycling by offering them money in return for segregated waste and by teaching children about the value of it. He even owns a shirt made out of plastic bottles, especially imported from Japan, to show the extent of what is possible. “It makes them excited about waste,” Karma explains with a smile.
This report was supported in part by the Postcode Loterij Fonds for journalists by Free Press Unlimited.
Listen to the report by Aletta André in Timphu, Bhutan:
Karma Yonten

Every little bit counts (Photos: Aletta André)

Karma Yonten

Karma is proud of being known as the trash guy (Photo: Aletta André)

Karma Yonten

Karma has received numerous awards for his entrepreneurship and activism (Photo: Aletta André)

]]> Turning trash into treasure https://blogs.dw.com/generationchange/2011/11/turning-trash-into-treasure/ Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:57:57 +0000 http://blogs.dw.com/generationchange/?p=775 It’s a dirty but lucrative business. Solomon Tetteh works in the waste processing sector in Accra. He holds a university degree, but Solomon was not able to find a job. At first, his friends were not really supportive when he dreamed about building up his own business. Now, a year later, he is not only self-employed, he has also managed to create jobs for several garbage men, giving them the opportunity to support their families. Solomon also promotes environmental awareness in Ghana by distributing free garbage cans in schools. He wants young people to learn early how to separate garbage and leave the land clean.

Turning trash into treasure with a new business initiative

Solomen Tetteh has a knack of turning trash into treasure

Vist onmedia.dw.com/english to see Richard Ocloo, Janehin Stephen and Bazuaye Darryl’s video report about Solomon.

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