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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...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Hans Christian Andersen once wrote a story about the life of a glass bottle. The famous author called his story “The Bottle Neck” at the time. In this story, the reader follows the life of a glass bottle. It began in a glass factory, spent several years in the cellar of a winery, and was eventually opened at a wedding. The empty bottle was carelessly thrown on the ground, where a junk dealer picked it up. He sold it to a hostel owner, who filled it with medicinal liquid. Eventually, however, the bottle broke. But that was not the end. In a glass factory, it was transformed into something new: a stained-glass window. Its journey ended when it was installed...

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In 2021, around 391 million tonnes of plastic were produced worldwide. About 12% of global waste consists of plastic. When plastics enter the environment, they never fully break down. Instead, they break down into tiny particles and fibers known as microplastics, which pose a serious threat to fish, birds, other land animals, and humans themselves. Larger pieces of plastic can transport invasive species and accumulate in freshwater and coastal environments, thereby altering ecosystem functions. How can PlastiCredits tackle this problem?

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Help the environment and other people, and have fun doing it: Set up a container and collect plastic caps! These small caps can make a big difference. They can provide a warm meal for those in need or support the wages of local workers. And the best part is, collecting the caps is fun! Anyone can join in, whether at home, at work, in their free time, or in a club.

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