KPRT goes greener while helping local business
Kandahar City, Afghanistan; 25 August
2009 — In the receiving area of the
Moshkan Plastic Process & Production
Company plant, Faizul Haq Moshkani (right)
and an employee look over a load of used
water bottles from the KPRT.
Kandahar City, Afghanistan; 25 August
2009 — Faizul Haq Moshkani inspects a
roll of shopping bags made of recycled
plastic.
By Captain Stéphanie Godin
Every month, some 8,000 empty water bottles make their way from Camp Nathan Smith, home of the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (KPRT), to Faizul Haq Moshkani’s recycling plant.
Mr Moshkani has been in the plastic-recycling business since 2005, and his plant, Moshkan Plastic Process & Production Company, employs anywhere from100 to 150 Kandahar City residents, depending on the work available. The company recycles all kinds of plastic, from jugs and cooking oil containers to shopping bags.
“The company collects used shopping bags and other plastic materials from the streets of Kandahar City,” said Mr Moshkani. “This helps keep the environment clean, along with producing fresh plastic materials.”
Since 2006, the KPRT has contributed its used water bottles to Mr Moshkani’s quest for a cleaner Kandahar City.
“When deployed in an operational theatre, we tend to think a lot about what we can do outside the wire to have a positive impact on local populations, and we rarely think about the little things we can do within the camp that may have an effect on the local economy,” said Major Luis Carvallo, KPRT Deputy Commanding Officer. “This project is a great example that shows how we can contribute to the local welfare by simply taking care of logistical needs we have anyway. By doing very little, we are helping create jobs for over 100 people.”
Last year, Mr Moshkani and his company took part in Dream and Achieve, a popular reality show funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development to promote business planning in small and medium-sized enterprises. Moshkan Plastic won first prize, US$20,000, as the competition’s most innovative, feasible and socially responsible entry.
