Plastic Transformation- Haiti Video 4

James and Obed started a business in Haiti to transform plastic waste into book bags. Watch the last video in our series to see how they’re helping their community find a way through the plastic crisis.

Video Transcript 

James (CEO of Arris Desrosiers): ‘My name is James, I am the CEO of the business called Arris Desrosiers, that’s where we are today. It’s a business that transforms trash into book bags and handbags. 

Obed (general manager of Arris Desrosiers): ‘We started this company as a solution to a problem, because in Haiti we have an issue around waste management’ 

James: ‘To start the process of transforming the trash into book bags, we go out in the streets and our collectors start picking up water sachets from the streets. So our collectors receive these plastic bags, they bring them to the company; they are washed, they are cut and they are prepared by our staff. And then they are put together and melted and transformed into bags.

So one of the reasons that we started this and what we can see is that the water sachets are produced massively from these companies every day. One of the companies in the area produces 1 million water sachets every day, and the population uses 70% of that. It goes in the streets, in the canals and clogs them. 30% of the remaining waste gets burned in the streets which has a harmful effect on people’s health . So this waste that is discarded in the streets and burned does not allow passage for the rainwater to flow causing floods which sometimes leads to deaths. This is why we are motivated to offer a solution with this new initiative.’ 

Find resources and ways to get involved on our Rubbish Campaign page.

Watch the other videos in this four-part series:
Part 1: The problem of waste
Part 2: The role of the church
Part 3: Green initiatives
Part 4: Plastic transformation (current page)