Return visit to Zambia: DACHSER young professionals get to know the successful Trash4Cash project
In September of this year, five young people who are currently completing a dual study program at DACHSER traveled to Zambia as part of an exchange project. Among other things, they visited the recycling company Trash4Cash, which young Zambians founded in Livingstone in 2019 with the support of DACHSER and the children's charity Terre des Hommes. The young entrepreneurs from Zambia had visited Kempten in the Allgäu region back in May and took an in-depth look at waste management in Germany. A change of perspective that pays off for the young people from both countries and contributes to their personal development.
Trainees from the municipal waste management company ZAK from Kempten also traveled to southern Africa together with the young professionals from DACHSER. The program during the three-week exchange was varied. The participants from Germany actively worked at the Trash4Cash recycling center and helped the waste collectors sort and buy raw waste in the nearby towns of Malota, Kazungula and Libuyu. They also took part in an exchange with a youth network in Livingstone. The program also included talks with the mayor and the Head of Public Health in Livingstone and with the German ambassador in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. They accompanied the young entrepreneurs, who actively reported on Trash4Cash and the importance and benefits of waste management at three local schools. The youth exchange also included leisure activities where the German participants got to know the local people and culture.
"The exchange project enabled the young people to change their perspective," summarizes Bernhard Simon, Chairman of the DACHSER Supervisory Board. "We can only move the world if we see it through the eyes of other people, i.e. if we experience and understand both the global South and the North. The resulting personal development puts us in a position to draw conclusions about sensible action."
Trash4Cash: insights and challenges
"We learned first-hand how recycling works in a country like Zambia. It was particularly impressive for me to see how people find a source of income by collecting waste," says Dennis Buenyat, dual student at DACHSER. "It was great to see how recycling can alleviate economic and environmental problems. I also realized how serious the consequences are for the environment and health if waste cannot be disposed of properly. The recycling machines we saw on site turned waste into valuable raw materials. That really impressed me."
"After a short workshop, the first week started directly with work at the Trash4Cash waste hub in Maramba, a district of Livingstone. We were shown around the facility, the processes were explained and we realized that the waste compactor doesn't work without electricity. Due to the ongoing drought, the country is unable to generate hydroelectric power at the dam, which paralyzes large parts of the country that only have two to six hours of electricity a day," adds Christoph Meyer, dual student at DACHSER.
In addition to these so-called power cuts, the recycling company's team has other challenges to overcome. During the exchange, the DACHSER, ZAK and Trash4Cash participants discussed and developed concepts and solutions together. For example, the project still lacks local awareness, so marketing measures are necessary. In addition, the organization and work processes on site at the waste hub and also when collecting and purchasing waste in the districts can be further structured and optimized. Another challenge is to reduce the fluctuation in turnover in order to guarantee Trash4Cash entrepreneurs a secure income and a permanent job.
Thanks to the intensive work at the recycling center and the mutual exchange, the German participants also took home new professional knowledge in waste management, which they can use for their own projects at DACHSER and ZAK.
From three small teams to one large team
Some of the participants from Germany and Zambia already knew each other from the previous exchange in Kempten, so it was a warm reunion. Through the joint work, regular coordination and team-building activities, the bond was strengthened even more and a large group developed. Language barriers were overcome by helping each other to translate and the German participants' English improved to some extent. Some of the project participants made friends during this time and are still in contact privately after the youth exchange.
The travelers agree that their time in Zambia has helped them grow both professionally and personally. "Rarely have I met more cheerful people, which I find really admirable when you consider how often we complain about little things in Europe. This should serve as an example of cohesion, frugality and, above all, gratitude," concludes Christoph Meyer.
