Plantain-Banana, Eco-Waste Transformation: Producers Make Brisk Business

I n Cameroon, harvesting plantain bunches leaves behind heaps of heavy stems, with either dry or wet leafs which farmers usually burn or discard as agricultural waste. This often creates environ­ mental hazards and bushfire risks. Now, local creators are upcycling this waste into lightweight jewelry, durable utility bags, and soft hair wigs, turning environmental trash into high-demand fashion. Fonge Nicnoela Nguatem, founder of Delikate Clothing in Buea, has since 2017, sourced discarded leafs from farms in Bomaka, Buea. She explained that the leaf-upcycling transformation process goes from harvesting plantain or banana waste, sanitizing and drying them through sun-curing or traditional smoke-drying on “mbanda” plat­ forms to produce jewelry, clothes, and bags. “We collaborate with local artists to paint and varnish the leafs into bold, eco-friendly earrings and custom pageantry outfits that raise awareness about local pollution. The earrings are sold for a price range of FCFA 3,000-5,000, and the clothes cost a minimum of FCFA 25,000,” Fonge revealed. Meanwhile, other local artisans ex­ tract tough natural fibers from the inner layers of plantain stems to produce wigs and braiding exten­ sions. Ebot Simon, a wig producer from plantain stems in South West Region’s Mutengene explained that “after scraping away the outer pulp, workers wash, sun-dry, and twist the raw strands into strong threads for heavy-duty mesh and market bags.” He added that by boiling these fibers in a softening solution, they also produce silky, natural hair extensions and wigs, providing hair salons with an affordable, eco- friendly alternative to synthetic hair at average prices of FCFA 50,000...