Making sanitation and waste treatment affordable
We strongly believe that the living conditions of millions of people in non-sewered urban areas can be fundamentally improved. According to the World Health Organization the absence of proper sanitation and efficient working waste water treatment services is still causing over 842,000 deaths in low/middle income countries each year - this fuels our desire to act.
Waste as a resource to create value
At Safisana we see waste as a resource to create value. We have developed a circular business model for local waste treatment for governments, utilities and food processing industries. Our recycling plants turn organic waste and faecal sludge into high value products: renewable energy, organic fertilizer and irrigation water.
Holistic approach
By adopting an holistic approach, we are able to offer governments, utilities and food processing industries a financially-affordable solution to manage their waste problems, and at the same time create highly sustainable multiple social, economic and environmental impacts to improve public health, climate, employment, food security/ safety scenarios for those communities who are ill-served by traditional utility provisions.
This is how it works
Input Based on the circular idea of waste as a resource, we collect both faecal and organic waste from urban areas, public toilets, food markets to food processing industries and slaughterhouses and transport it to the Safisana recycling plant
Output Through the process of fermentation of organic and faecal sludge it is transformed into organic fertilizer and biogas; with the biogas subsequently used to produce electricity. Electricity is then sold to local energy companies. Waste water is turned into clean irrigation water for use by local farmers, and together with Safisana produced organic fertiliser, provides year-round nutrient-rich supplements to increase vegetable yield
Input Based on the circular idea of waste as a resource, we collect both faecal and organic waste from urban areas, public toilets, food markets to food processing industries and slaughterhouses and transport it to the Safisana recycling plant
Output Through the process of fermentation of organic and faecal sludge it is transformed into organic fertilizer and biogas; with the biogas subsequently used to produce electricity. Electricity is then sold to local energy companies. Waste water is turned into clean irrigation water for use by local farmers, and together with Safisana produced organic fertiliser, provides year-round nutrient-rich supplements to increase vegetable yield
Benefits for clients, customers and communities
Governments & Utilities
Our recycling plant is a cost efficient fully serviced all-in-one solution for sustainable treatment of waste water, solid waste and faecal slugde management. Our holistic model provides end to end services, ranging from lease contracts and concessions to operate as a full utility service, to tailored contracts on the basis of DBFOT.
Industries
Our circular model offers waste water and food processing industries a low cost solution for residual waste and wastewater that meets with Sustainable Development Goals and corporate social responsible policies. It promotes cost saving, circular and energy neutral business models.
Local
Communities
Our model offers options to improve the direct living environment of local communities in non-sewered urban areas. Safisana provides increased sanitation, hygiene, health, the availability of clean/ affordable energy, irrigation water and organic fertilizer for local farmers, as well as enhanced food security/ safety, economic livelihoods - around employment for local small and medium-sized enterprises.
One recycling plant helps over 50,000 people
3,600
Tonnes organic waste
treated per year
9,700
Tonnes of faecal waste
treated per year
600
MwH or renewable energy
produced per year
91,000
Kg of organic fertiliser
produced per year
'In many low and middle income countries poor waste management puts a huge pressure on the natural environment, public health, and related governmental budgets. Global urbanisation will only intensify this problem over the next decade, unless we support governments, utilities and IFI’s to address this problem.'
Aart van den Beukel
Managing Director and Founder of Safisana
'In many low and middle income countries poor waste management puts a huge pressure on the natural environment, public health, and related governmental budgets. Global urbanisation will only intensify this problem over the next decade, unless we support governments, utilities and IFI’s to address this problem.'
Aart van den Beukel
Managing Director and Founder of Safisana
Chair Board Safisana Holding
Our recycling plant in Ashaiman;
A blueprint for replication
In 2017 we opened the first Safisana recycling plant in Ashaiman, Ghana, serving a settlement of 250,000 people in the Greater Accra Area. The plant was commissioned by the Local Municipality together with the National Ministries of Energy and Agriculture and succeeded in establishing the first waste to energy plant in West Africa. Through a process of learning by doing, the Ashaiman plant has steadily built up its expertise to now demonstrate proof of concept, securing agreements with all stakeholders, and clearly manifesting the advantages of the Safisana waste to resource business model. Today the Ashaiman facility has grown into an economically stable locally managed company – run by a team of 28 locally trained specialists. We are confident that we now have a readymade blueprint for replication!
Safisana Ripple Effect
Our goal is to create global impact with local solutions - rather like a stone that produces an expanding rippling when thrown into the water. Safisana’s circular business approach is modular and scalable, and able to serve communities larger than 100 thousand people in non-sewered urban areas anywhere around the world. It is our mission to roll out a global network of locally embedded Safisana businesses. Our focus is to create impact across social, economic and environmental areas, underpinned by business-driven approaches with any profit being ploughed back into the business model. Through this holistic approach, we work to inspire our partners and clients to create a sustainable ripple effect.
Our areas of impact
Follow our Mission
#localsolutionsglobalimpact
Subscribe to the Safisana newsletter to follow our journey
Our global partners
Contact
Safisana HQ, The Netherlands
+31 (0)294 773857
info@safisana.org
Stationsplein 30
PO Box 5064, 1382 CB Weesp
Office, Ghana
+233 (0) 302972380
ashaiman@safisana.org
P. O. Box CT 8312, Cantonments Accra Ghana.
1 kilometer from Tema-Motorway underbridge,
Adjei-Kojo Ashaiman
Join the movement
