Saving the Planet: Female Cameroonian Converts Waste into Gold

Ayeah Leonette is a native of Kom, a dominant tribe in Boyo Division, North West region Cameroon. She is the first in a family of three and a mother of one. From her works, she is definitely different from others in her hussle to put food on her table. While growing up, Ayeah Leonette got inspiration from her mum. To her, the mother was always comfortable when the sitting room was beautifully arranged.

"A friend of mine once told me, if you know something, others will look for you", Leonette draws her inspiration from this statement once made by a friend of hers.

I learnt in a seminar, that, "you can only make money in business when you get into solving a problem. When I returned from the seminar, I decided to do something new", Leonette said

"In front of my house, we had waste tyres. Each time, people gather around, sit on the tyres and discuss. So one day, this idea came up. I decided to add wood to the tyres and make it more comfortable. That's how it all started".

Side stools designed by Ayeah Leonette

Apart from the transformation of non-biodegradable tyres, Ayeah Leonette is a musician and she is also involved in Ankara designs where she does shoes and bags. She is also involved in the marking of the North West traditional regalia.

..My humble beginnings..

"I spent a lot of money in learning this. I did many jobs and my customers had to call to express their dissatisfaction. That's when I decided to pay and learn. Surprisingly, I got the final technic within a month", Leonette told The Safeguard.

The beauty of these side stools for homes made out of the non-biodegradable car tyres can't be over emphasized. In as much as Ayeah Leonette makes money out of this, she contributes so much in making planet earth a better place through recycling waste tyres.

To all the youths, Ayeah Leonette recommends that they should shun laziness and engage themselves in useful activities that can put food on their table.

"What do you like when you see it? Learn that thing and invest in your tomorrow. Let someone admire you for something and stop begging for money", Leonette concluded.

The huge amount of solid waste generated from tyres is a major concern. Used tyres have a severe negative impact on the environment in terms of air, water, and soil pollution. But this business done by Ayeah Leonette can curb this negative impact and generate profit for her through tire recycling.

GOVERNMENTS BAN ON PLASTICS

The government of the Republic of Cameroon on October 24, 2012 took a decision to ban non-biodegradable plastics. This decision was later followed by a press release on February 13, 2013 in which April 24, 2014 was set as the date for operators to be in compliance with the ban on the production, importation and sale of non-biodegradable packaging.

Despite the April 24, 2014 deadline, plastic packaging companies have failed to comply. Cameroon's ministry of Environment and Protection of Nature launched a campaign against this but six years later, the situation is yet to change.

Dangers of used tires to the environment

Apart from these non-biodegradable plastics, scrap tyres have been a problem for environmentalists for decades. These tyres pile up in landfills, have fed enormous toxic fires, harbor pests and get burned for fuel.

Because tyres are non-degradable, they could potentially stick around indefinitely. For long now, environmentalists are concerned that the emissions from this practice could be adding harmful pollutants to the air.

A research team led by Hassan S. Bazzi, Ph.D, at the Texas A&M University campus in Qatar (TAMU-Qatar) has been working to make new tyres with degradable materials since 2012. While waiting for that to completely comes to fruition, some young people have started using local means to make use of these non-biodegradable car tyres.

By Nji Nelson Chefor and Pechuqui Lauratha

For business, get to Ayeah Leonette via 676683575