In brief
The story follows Mwanamkuu Mussa, a mother of four in Zanzibar who has transformed discarded glass bottles into a source of income and educational support through Chako Zanzibar. Founded by Dutch entrepreneur Anneloes Roelandschap, the enterprise has prevented millions of bottles from ending in landfills, trained more than 400 locals, and provided a path toward economic empowerment. Yet, the long‑term impact on Zanzibar’s broader waste system and economy remains to be fully documented.
In Zanzibar, a mother of four made a discarded glass bottle into a key source of income for her family. Mwanamkuu Mussa, 52, who had been a nursery teacher before 2021, now turns discarded glasses into shop‑ready drinking glasses, vases, lamps and décor for tourists while also running a local DVD library.
Mussa credits the social enterprise Chako Zanzibar with giving her the skills and security to pay school fees, cover medical expenses and move closer to building a home for her children. Working at Chako has helped me become an independent woman, she said.
Chako was founded by Dutch entrepreneur Anneloes Roelandschap and her partner after they opened a hotel in Stone Town in 2008. Observing the dual effect of tourism—creating jobs yet generating substantial waste—they launched the venture in 2012 to collect hotel and resort garbage, upcycle it and sell the finished products back to the tourism industry.
The company now gathers glass bottles and plastic from hospitality businesses, cleans and processes the material and crafts it into a range of items that tourists can buy as souvenirs. By selling these products, Chako both generates income for local workers and gives visitors a tangible reminder of Zanzibar while also reducing waste.
Since its start, the enterprise has prevented more than five million bottles from ending up in Zanzibar’s landfills and has trained more than 400 local people, cited the founder. The dual focus on environmental cleanup and skills training is positioned as a template for other island economies struggling with similar waste and employment challenges.
Beyond the financial benefits, Mussa has launched a DVD library in her neighbourhood, which supplies educational materials to local students. She reports that the income from bottle‑upcycling has helped her providing tuition, medical care and basic utilities for her family.
Her next goal is to build a permanent house on her own plot of land. While the enterprise provides a stable foundation for some women, the details of how the program scales or how many other families experience comparable progress remain unclear.
Yet the environmental gains tell only part of the story, the article noted, leaving readers to wonder about the broader long‑term impact on Zanzibar’s waste management and economic landscape. The exact extent to which Chako’s model will sustain its environmental benefits, retain skilled workers, or replicate its success elsewhere has not yet been fully documented.
