Frequently asked Questions
Is the Re|Root Collaborative
a 501(c)(3) organization?
You bet we are!
Where does the money go
when I donate to Re|Root?
When you donate to Re|Root, your contribution goes directly toward building community-led waste and recycling solutions in Ghana. Donations support program activities such as training local women and underemployed workers, establishing small-scale recycling infrastructure, providing safety equipment, and expanding access to environmental health education. A smaller portion helps cover essential operational costs that keep our programs running effectively and transparently.
What is Re|Root
doing right now?
ReRoot is currently piloting a community-based textile recovery and reuse initiative in Kumasi. During this phase, we are working with market sellers and waste actors to collect post-consumer textiles that would otherwise be burned, dumped, or discarded in drains and informal sites.
Collected textiles are brought to a small warehouse space, where we are testing sorting, cleaning, and basic processing methods and experimenting with the creation of practical items such as doormats, lab coats, reusable bags, and cleaning cloths. This work is designed to build the skills and capacity of local teams, with the goal of developing a locally led model that supports community health, environmental protection, and economic well-being.
The pilot focuses on learning - refining collection approaches, understanding material quality, and identifying viable products - to lay the groundwork for a sustainable, community-driven textile reuse model in Kumasi.
What is Re|Root’s mission?
Re|Root exists to turn global waste into local renewal by partnering with local changemakers to collect, repurpose, and recycle materials, reshaping the systems that connect us all.
We aim to reduce the health impacts of inadequate waste management in Ghana by creating community-led recycling and empowerment initiatives. At our core, we believe all people and communities have equal value, and the current global system of waste dumping in Ghana does not reflect that. We are working to build solutions that do.
How can I get involved
in Re|Root’s mission?
Although our programs operate in Ghana, global waste challenges begin in the countries where products are made, purchased, and eventually discarded. Even well-intentioned donations can become waste when they exceed what local markets can absorb. You can get involved by being mindful of what you buy, how long you keep it, and how you pass items on. Small, intentional choices to minimize consumption help reduce the global waste stream and support more equitable systems for everyone.
What does Re|Root see as
the long-term vision?
Ultimately, we envision a world where waste no longer harms people or the environment; where communities have the tools to transform discarded materials into opportunity; and where global systems value people and the planet equally. Re|Root works to make that shift possible, rooted in deep collaboration with the communities we serve.
Why start in Kumasi?
Ghana is one of the world’s largest recipients of post-consumer textiles and other forms of imported waste, arriving in volumes that often exceed the capacity of local waste management systems. This creates significant environmental, economic, and public health challenges for communities that bear the downstream impacts of a global consumption problem.
Kumasi sits downstream of the waste distribution that begins at the ports in Accra, yet it receives far less attention in public discourse and media coverage. As a major commercial hub with dense markets and limited textile-specific recovery infrastructure, large quantities of discarded clothing and fabric end up burned, dumped, or clogging drains, particularly during the rainy season.
We chose to begin our work in Kumasi because the need is urgent and because we have strong local partners committed to practical, community-led solutions. Starting here allows us to pilot a textile-specific recovery and upcycling model that creates local economic opportunities while addressing an overlooked environmental challenge.
Over time, we hope to adapt and expand what we learn in Kumasi to other regions and countries facing similar waste management pressures, always tailoring our approach to local contexts and priorities.
Contact us.
Have a question that’s not answered here or just want to say hi? Fill out our contact form or email us directly at collab@rerootcollaborative.org