Raju's Personal Story
Our educational community events build on the encounters between the local population and our local teams, through which we are entrusted with many personal stories. Many of you are acting on the impact that the social environmental project of Buy Food with Plastic has on people's lives. These personal stories are particularly close to our hearts. They prove that development cooperation is successful for the common good and the environment. Our entire team draws inspiration from these stories, which is why today we can share Raju Kumar's personal story with you. Raju grows up in the Chamunda Nagar slum in Mumbai, where plastic waste is ubiquitous. But it was only through an awareness workshop by Buy Food with Plastic,...
Peter Bolliger raises CHF 67,000 in donations
Peter Bolliger is an adventurer who shares his experiences in video format on social media. Peter encountered Buy Food with Plastic earlier. When we moved into the Charity Gallery, the room was still under construction. We had no water, no electricity, and the walls were bare and grey. Anna and Khalil remembered a former schoolmate who currently ran a paint shop. They contacted him, and he, Daniel Galantucci and the company founder of the Hampel Gruppe, Ramon Hampel visited the Charity Gallery. In the following weeks, they painted the walls of the Charity Gallery white without asking for payment. Ramon didn't stop there, though. A few weeks later, Anna, Khalil, Ramon and Peter sat together in a video call. Peter was...
The Plastic House – Our First Experience with Recycling
In the early days of Buy Food with Plastic, we faced several challenges recycling the plastic we collected. We collected plastic bottles and hoped to have them processed at a recycling plant – but there were no such facilities anywhere nearby. The bottles eventually piled up on our Country Manager's property. One day, Eileen came to us, a German woman who had emigrated to Nicaragua. She had a bold idea: she wanted to build a house out of the collected plastic bottles. At first, we thought the idea was crazy. But the more we looked into it, the clearer it became: it was actually possible. Plastic bottles filled with sand could be used like bricks – strong, safe, and even...
Buy Food with Plastic Ghana - the founding story
After we told you how Buy Food with Plastic has grown and started operating in India thanks to Shakti, we would now like to take the time to tell you about another encounter that influenced the story of Buy Food with Plastic. This is the story of the encounter with George Kwame Quansah, the current Country Manager of Buy Food with Plastic in Ghana, and thus his story and the founding story of Buy Food with Plastic Ghana: In a small fishing village called Elmina, right on the coast of Ghana, lives Kwame, a young tour guide. Every morning, he leads curious tourists through the historic fort and tells them the stories and secrets of his country. In the afternoon,...
Buy Food with Plastic India - the founding story
Sometimes, in-person meetings are not necessary to connect with one another. Our team has learned this again and again over the years. Through social media, our paths come together in ways that are not predictable. This was also the case with the virtual meeting with Shakti, our Country Manager in India. This was an important moment in the history of Buy Food with Plastic, which is why we want to tell this story now: In the bustling streets of Bhandup, a slum in Mumbai, Shakti Yadav grew up. Life there was a daily struggle: the narrow alleys, overcrowded homes, and the smell of waste shaped his childhood. But the biggest problem that concerned him even as a young boy was...
The founding story of Buy Food with Plastic – how it all began….
As announced in the blog post about the legend of the hummingbird, we want to share the stories behind Buy Food with Plastic with you. As announced, we are starting today with the hummingbird, whose drive and courage inspired other animals to come together as a community to tackle hunger and plastic pollution. It all began in the summer of 2018. Khalil flew to Nicaragua for a three-month surfing holiday. As we know Khalil, he had no trouble striking up conversations with the locals. From them, he learned about the challenges of their daily lives. Parents could no longer feed their children, and everywhere in nature he saw plastic bottles and litter lying around. There were no trash cans, so the...
Even a small hummingbird can make a difference
There is a legend that has inspired our members, supporters, and participants again and again since the idea for our organization first emerged. It was told to co-founder Khalil as he traveled from hostel to hostel to turn his idea of exchanging meals for plastic bottles into a reality. At the Cafe con lege hostel, Khalil met Erwin, a French tourist. Erwin sat comfortably in his armchair in the hostel lobby, listening to Khalil’s stories as he searched for participants for the first Buy Food with Plastic event. The plan reminded him of a story: “You are like the hummingbird. An event may only be a drop on a hot stone, but even that creates steam and many small drops...
Our recycling plant and factory in India
In October 2023, we opened the doors to a place in India that is much more than just a workshop – a real milestone for the local team and our mission at Buy Food with Plastic. Imagine walking into the room. Many lamps illuminate the room and make it bright and welcoming. In addition, the sun shines through the glass door. Air conditioning and ceiling fans make for a pleasant working environment. Instead of the drab white of most walls, your eyes meet a soft aquamarine. None of your steps fall in dirt. At first, this sounds pretty unremarkable, but at second glance, it is a big difference. As soon as you step into the workshops next door, you are...
Do something nice with chocolate pavés
A little journey into the creation of Buy Food with Plastic chocolate: "I am a special set of small chocolate pavés, and my journey begins on Grenada, a small, sun-drenched island in the Caribbean. There, the cocoa beans that give me my intense flavor grow and are harvested by experienced hands. From Grenada, I begin my journey to Switzerland, to the St. Jakob Foundation in Zurich, where people with disabilities lovingly and carefully craft me. In this workshop, they give me shape and shine, and every pavé created reflects their attention to detail." For every set, which costs 19 francs, 13 francs go directly to the foundation, ensuring that everyone involved in my production is paid fairly. When you buy...
From plastic waste to a picnic blanket—and much more!
In addition to the bottle caps we have collected, we also upcycle the collected sachets from Ghana. Sachets are small plastic bags filled with water, juices, or milk. They are popular because they are cheaper than drinks in plastic bottles. Unfortunately, after use by the local population in Ghana, they are often carelessly discarded. But at our Buy Food with Plastic Community Events in Ghana, they get a second chance – and a new purpose. Here, people exchange 30 used sachets - or 20 plastic bottles - for a hot meal. This makes the environment cleaner, while also providing them with something to eat. But our environmental project does not end there. For us, sustainability means creating a cycle in which plastic...