The Re-Factor

Dumping solid waste in open landfill sites or burning it instead of recycling is a challenging environmental and health problem, as well as a missed economic opportunity. Currently in Egypt, economic activities related to waste management are mainly at the beginning of the value chain, involving mostly collection and sorting while the production and marketing sides are often left out.
The partner organisation nurtures entrepreneurial skills among women to establish a social enterprise that turns ‘trash’ into ‘treasure’. Two up-cycling production sites have been established. The first is in Badr City (an industrial city east of Cairo) and utilises a weaving technique for plastic. The second workshop site is an old factory in Abbasya (a part of the old city in the heart of Cairo), which is accessible to students from the art college who can volunteer on site, learn innovative glass sandblasting techniques and then teach local women. By presenting a positive, replicable model of resource-efficient and green approaches, the Re-Factor project promotes social responsibility and cultural awareness among businesses and academic institutions in those communities.