By Fungai Mutimodyo
In the quiet farming town of Marondera, about 70 kilometres east of Harare, a group of women is reshaping both their livelihoods and the local environment, one plastic bottle at a time.
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Book NowWhat began as a small community effort to clean up littered streets has evolved into a growing informal enterprise, where discarded plastic is no longer seen as waste, but as an opportunity.
“We used to see plastic everywhere in the fields, in the drains, even burning in people’s yards,” says one of the group’s founding members. “Now we see money.”
The women, many of whom were previously unemployed or reliant on irregular income, spend their days collecting plastic waste from neighbourhoods, marketplaces, and nearby farms. The material is sorted, cleaned, and sold to recycling companies, where it is processed into reusable raw materials.
Their work is physically demanding, but the rewards, both financial and environmental, are tangible.
Each collection trip contributes to a shared income stream that helps pay for school fees, groceries and household needs. For some, it is the first time they have had a reliable source of earnings.
But their efforts are no longer happening in isolation.
A growing network known as the Waste Pickers Platform, a civic space under the Eastern Caucus, is helping to amplify such grassroots initiatives, providing training, innovation support, and pathways into entrepreneurship.
Through online workshops and community-based training sessions, the platform is teaching waste pickers across the region how to turn discarded materials into viable sources of income.
“We are trying to shift mindsets,” says Waste Pickers Platform Regional Coordinator Pagiel.
“Waste is not just something to throw away. It is a resource, and if managed well, it can create sustainable livelihoods.”
The platform’s programmes focus on practical skills from sorting and value addition to understanding market dynamics while also encouraging participants to organise themselves into cooperatives.
Director of Business Itayi Zimunya says the aim is to build a more structured and dignified waste economy.
“We are looking beyond collection,” he explains. “We want people to understand the business side pricing, partnerships, and scaling their operations. There is real potential in this sector.”
The team is also exploring ways to provide personal protective clothing (PPC) to waste pickers, addressing one of the most pressing challenges faced by those working in the field.
“Safety is critical,” adds Zimunya. “As this sector grows, we need to ensure that people are protected and supported.”
For the women in Marondera, access to such knowledge and networks is opening new possibilities. Some have begun attending the online sessions, learning how to improve their processes and increase the value of the materials they collect.
The Waste Pickers Platform team says interest has been growing steadily, with more communities recognising the dual benefits of cleaner environments and new income streams.
“Our workshops are not just about waste,” says Pagiel. “They are about dignity, resilience and building a green future from the ground up.”
As sacks of plastic continue to pile up in Marondera now carefully sorted and ready for sale they tell a story not just of survival, but of innovation.
In a place where waste once symbolised neglect, it is now becoming a foundation for economic opportunity and environmental renewal driven by women, and supported by a movement determined to turn trash into transformation.
This group of women turning discarded plastic into a source of income are actively practising the principles of the circular economy at a community level.
What began as a response to local waste challenges now reflects a broader shift one that recognises waste not as a burden, but as a resource. Their efforts to collect, sort and channel plastic into recycling streams are helping to reduce environmental degradation while creating sustainable livelihoods.
This local transformation mirrors the national outlook shared at the recent UN Tourism gatherings in Victoria Falls, where the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) underscored the importance of circular economy practices in protecting ecosystems that support tourism.
By promoting waste reduction, reuse and recycling, such initiatives ease pressure on natural environments and help preserve the biodiversity and landscapes that attract visitors. In this way, grassroots actions in places like Marondera are directly aligned with Zimbabwe’s broader vision of linking environmental stewardship to economic resilience and a sustainable tourism future.
