Global Impact – September 2026
In Mumbai, the monsoon has put our plastic-for-meals events on hold. Nevertheless, there has been a lot of progress: In Ghana, our search for a plot of land for our own recycling facility is looking better than ever. In Nicaragua, we have launched a new project with a women's cooperative. And in India, more and more schools want a collection container, but funding remains a challenge.
What is a legacy? Meaning, differences and examples
What does a legacy mean in Switzerland? Learn the difference from an inheritance and how you record a legacy in a will with a concrete example.
Christmas Community Event in Nicaragua 2024
While snowflakes drift down in Switzerland, the cold settles in and the trees glisten frostily in the early morning, the sun shines over the lush green trees of Nicaragua and awakens with its warmth a colorful flock of imposing birds, whose song fills the air. Two completely different worlds on opposite sides of the earth - yet there is a reason for joy for the children of both regions. In Switzerland, it is dinner with the family, with a beautiful tree, under which gifts liee. In the municipality of El Astillero in Nicaragua is a warm meal with friends, neighbors and families with fun and games, for on today takes place the Christmas event by Buy Food with Plastic instead. An...
A Christmas Story by Buy Food with Plastic
It is Advent, and the air is clear, not only from the snow, but from a purity that flows from the hearts of the people. A silence reigns on the streets, one that is not empty, but full of meaning. Here, nothing superfluous remains. Julia sits on a bench in a community park that was once a landfill. Back then, this place would have smelled of decay, of the end of things. But today, there is life here. Children play among trees that have grown from the compost of old waste. A group of craftspeople repairs tools that no one throws away anymore, because nothing needs to be replaced—everything can be renewed. Julia looks at the scene before her and...
Buy Food with Plastic in Ghana – A Big Step
Our co-CEOs Khalil Radi and Anna Gracia Herbst traveled together with Elena Hauptmann (co-founder and advisor for Ghana), Frank Sarria (Country Manager from Nicaragua), Vera Noll (Recycling Support Switzerland) and Dominik Marti (videographer) to Ghana to deepen the projects together with the local team, strengthen structures, and develop new partnerships. A land full of energy, color, and drive For our global team, the trip to Ghana was an important milestone. While Buy Food with Plastic has been active in Ghana for 5 years, this was the first personal visit by our management team – Khalil Radi and Anna Gracia Herbst – on site. The project in Ghana was originally set up by Elena Hauptmann and Charlotte Claveau, our project facilitators...
1 comment
Establishment of the Charity Gallery, the Swiss location of Buy Food with Plastic
Nicaragua inspired Khalil's original vision for Buy Food with Plastic. However, it didn't stop there. During another trip by co-founders Khalil and Anna to Nicaragua, they came across the globally renowned coffee beans from the region. The dream of a small café in Zurich took shape, where coffee from Nicaragua could be served. Through this business, Buy Food with Plastic could generate income, which would benefit the organization. This could not only create a wonderful place for exchange, but also provide an excellent opportunity to draw attention to the project, while the organization becomes less dependent on donations thanks to the income. A NGO café, full of life, where people come together and share ideas for a better world over a...
The life of our upcycler Stephen
At educational community events, Buy Food with Plastic collects plastic bottles from the local population in exchange for a hot meal. The plastic bottles are then given a new life by being recycled. To ensure fair working conditions, Buy Food with Plastic has established recycling factories in all three countries where we operate, such as the Indian factory we recently wrote a blog post about. There, the caps are removed and sorted by color, and the bodies of the plastic bottles are shredded and packaged. The sorted caps then go into our recycling machine, which melts the plastic. Cast into a mold, the caps take on a new purpose, such as becoming a surfboard comb or an ice scraper. These...
Plastic bottles: a suitable breeding ground for malaria mosquitoes
Ms. Bosomtwe, a resident of the village of Dwabor in Ghana, where Buy Food with Plastic has been active for 4 years, knows exactly how dangerous empty plastic bottles are to the environment. Mosquitoes that transmit diseases such as malaria nest in the bottles and multiply quickly in the village. Water collects in the discarded plastic bottles, in which the mosquitoes can lay their eggs in an ideally protected environment. This makes plastic bottles breeding grounds for mosquitoes. In addition to the residents of Dwabor, Ghana, several studies have also made similar observations (Fobil, 2000; Yintii et al., 2014). Thanks to the work of Buy Food with Plastic, the villagers can regularly hand in their plastic bottles. These bottles are...
Positive Change: Learn Jenner's Story
Imagine landing in Nicaragua, a Central American country full of breathtaking natural beauty. You step into the role of Jenner, a seven-year-old boy from the Pacific coastal region. The beauty of your surroundings is unparalleled—but there is a problem: mountains of trash, plastic bottles, and packaging pile up everywhere in your community, with no one to dispose of them. There is no waste management system, harming the environment and the country's beauty. But you have no energy to deal with it, because your biggest concern is simply surviving. Sometimes you are lucky enough to get a warm meal. But often your plate remains empty, and you go to bed hungry. One day, your sister tells you about a "Buy Food...
Meet our chef from Ghana
For educational community events to be possible at all, our local teams need cooks in addition to logistics staff to prepare the meals that are distributed at the events for 20 plastic bottles. Without their commitment, our social environmental project would not be possible, which is why we would like to introduce you to one of our cooks from Ghana. Augustina is a woman who not only cooks with dedication, but also with a deep sense of responsibility. At every Buy Food with Plastic community event, she prepares meals for over 200 people – and especially for the children from the villages of Dwabor and Abayee, these meals mean much more than just filling their stomachs. With great care, she...