Inside the teen-led PlastiFund that’s tackling plastic pollution in Ghana

Living in Ghana, students Lila Favilli and Arshia Lakhiani saw a persistent problem: plastic waste was overwhelming the country’s vibrant landscape. It filled rivers and roadsides, choking goats and fish. Most of this waste was low-density polyethylene (LDPE), the material used in bags, bottles, and water sachets, which is notoriously difficult to recycle.

Only about 2–5% of LDPE produced in Ghana is recycled each year. When exposed to sunlight, it releases greenhouse gases like methane and ethylene, worsening air quality and accelerating global warming.

In cities such as Accra, Kumasi, and Tema, discarded plastic bags and water sachets clog gutters, increasing flood risks during the rainy season and spreading diseases like cholera. “After much research into Ghana’s history with plastics and the psychology of ingrained behaviors, we realized that awareness campaigns don’t do much,” said Lila. “Single-use plastics play a vital role in the Ghanaian economy, and water from plastic sachet bags is often the most affordable way to get clean drinking water.”

Recognizing that eliminating plastic use wasn’t realistic, the teens looked for another way forward, one that could align public health, environmental goals, and business incentives.

Turning waste into opportunity

Lila and Arshia studied the economics of recycling and proposed a new approach: connect large manufacturers and recycling plants with local orphanages, creating a circular economy that rewards plastic collection. After lobbying recycling companies and negotiating a fair price per pound, the PlastiFund project was born.

Today, PlastiFund operates across 10 orphanages and schools in Ghana, engaging more than 1,100 children and collecting over 1,200 pounds of plastic. Trucks gather the sorted waste every few months and deliver it to recycling facilities, where it’s washed, shredded, melted, and extruded into uniform pellets. These pellets can be molded into new products such as trash bags, reducing the demand for virgin plastic and landfill waste.

“The best population to target was children,” explained Lila. “It is much easier to break habits from the ground up.” By linking financial incentives to proper disposal, PlastiFund empowers orphanages to earn income while reinforcing environmental awareness among young Ghanaians. Businesses benefit too, saving on raw materials and improving their community impact, a win for both people and the planet.

Resilience and collaboration

Launching PlastiFund wasn’t easy. “Negotiating with big businesses and orphanages and trying to connect them was very difficult,” said Lila. “We were rejected many times, sometimes not taken seriously because we were two young girls, but ultimately it taught us how to handle rejection when it came about, and keep trying to overcome setbacks and stereotypes.”

Persistence paid off. Their growing network of supporters and partners demonstrates how collaboration across generations and sectors can unlock local solutions to global problems. “Honestly, how all of our research and reading actually ended up becoming something tangible,” said Lila. “Working together, combining our interests and strengths to try to solve a problem that we saw so vividly affect our surroundings, was very rewarding.”

Scaling impact across Ghana

With PlastiFund now established, the founders are exploring new frontiers in chemical and mechanical engineering. “Arshia and I are working on a joint article on Catalytic Pyrolysis as an alternative way to repurpose low-density polyethylene into fuel,” Lila shared. Their research could offer developing economies new ways to convert waste into clean energy.

For now, they’re focused on expanding PlastiFund to more orphanages, schools, and eventually adults across Ghana. Their message to others is clear: persistence matters. “At the end of the day, it only takes one ‘yes’ to get something going, even after many ‘nos’,” said Lila.

“If you really care about something, keep trying, and eventually someone will recognize your efforts. The biggest problems can only be solved through collaboration.”