In brief
In Zanzibar, a social enterprise called Chako Zanzibar collects discarded glass from tourism businesses and upcycles it into products, helping women like Mwanamkuu Mussa turn waste into income. Since its founding in 2012, Chako has prevented over five million bottles from landfill, trained over 400 locals, and provided skills and economic independence. The effort supports education and healthcare for families, with Mussa hoping to build a home for her children.
Zanzibar, October 30, 2026 — In the coastal island of Zanzibar, a social enterprise is turning discarded glass bottles into a source of income and independence for local women, according to Xinhua. The enterprise, Chako Zanzibar, was founded in 2012 by Dutch entrepreneur Anneloes Roelandschap after she observed the waste produced by the tourism industry in Stone Town. Since then it has collected millions of glass and plastic bottles from hotels and resorts, cleaned them, and turned them into drinking glasses, vases, lamps and decorative items sold to tourists.
Mwanamkuu Mussa, 52, a mother of four, joined Chako in 2021 after working as a nursery school teacher. She now transforms glass bottles into useful products, trains new artisans, and keeps the workshop organized. She has opened her own DVD library and uses the income to pay her children’s school fees and medical expenses. Her next ambition is to build a house for her family.
Working at Chako has helped me become an independent woman,
Mussa told Xinhua. Her story illustrates the enterprise’s mission to provide practical skills, a steady income and the opportunity for women to make decisions about their future.
Roelandschap said Chako has prevented more than five million bottles from ending up in Zanzibar’s landfills and trained more than 400 local people. By selling the finished goods back to the tourism industry, the venture also keeps waste out of the environment while sustaining local employment.
The initiative highlights how upcycling can address environmental and economic challenges in places with growing tourism. It also gains recognition as a model for turning waste into empowerment in rural communities.
