“Our idea came from watching supermarkets’ waste being burned every day, because there are no other ways of getting rid of it. And most of it is carton waste” says Wael, co-developer of The Missing Link.
17 May 2018
Jerusalem, Palestine
Resource Efficiency and Sustainable Waste Management
Jerusalem, Palestine
Resource Efficiency and Sustainable Waste Management
In Palestine’s Beit Duqqu, a suburb of Jerusalem, the beautiful greenery is marred by the smoke of flaming trash heaps – widely used for a lack of alternative waste management options. Very few locals can recycle, be that in supermarkets, hospitals, or private homes.
Beit Duqqu alone produces two tonnes of paper and carton waste every day, in the estimation of siblings Wael and Weam Bader, co-founders of The Missing Link. The Missing Link confronts this untenable situation with one promising response: using that wasted paper to manufacture egg trays, an essential link in the supply chain of local poultry farms.
The Missing Link adds value to the local poultry economy by adapting egg trays to the three egg sizes that the farmers produce. In the past, producers have faced issues due to the availability of only one tray size, produced by the single egg tray manufacturer in the region. The other two sizes are bought second-hand from Israeli vendors, which is not always the most sanitary solution. The Baders plan to fill this gap in the market with their recycled egg trays.
The pair are concerned with boosting the economic activity in the region, noting the 30 percent unemployment rate in Palestine. The Missing Link will generate new jobs, and help bridge the gap between manufacturing activities and potential. The Baders aim to fill five new positions during the first year, which could jump to 20 jobs with further expansion of the business.
In terms of recycling, The Missing Link hopes to prevent the emission of 2 tons of CO2 daily by the usual burning of leftover paper. Ultimately, the Baders view their initiative as the first stage of a snowballing phenomenon, creating momentum for the local community to raise health, social, and economic standards.
“We decided to become green entrepreneurs to change the mentality of our fellow citizens so that we are all held accountable for our actions [on the environment],” Wael adds.
Through a local mentor, SwitchMed is coaching the siblings to boost their green idea by completing and executing their green business plan. And the Baders are already looking to the future: if they can create recycled egg trays, why not move into fruit and vegetable trays as well?
For more information, check Wael’s Linkedin profile.
The article was originally published on the SwitchMed website.
“Our idea may not seem innovative, but in Palestine, and in our case, it is. We’ve identified a gap in the use of carton and paper and that gap can be filled by establishing a waste collection and recycling process.”
The Missing Link Resource Efficiency & Sustainable Waste Management