Turning bio-degradable waste to wealth: How FINCA is empowering communities

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Across Uganda, heaps of banana peels, wilted greens, and eggshells are often dismissed as waste, yet in a country where food insecurity and unemployment remain real challenges, this waste can be turned into real wealth.

This is exactly what FINCA Uganda and the Rupert Scofield Vision Grant Fund, through a transformative initiative, are using to empower communities through sensitising them on how everyday rubbish can become a source of income.

To date, the programme has benefited 150 community groups within Kampala District, training households in composting, waste management, and urban gardening.

By the end of 2026, the Waste to Wealth Initiative aims to expand to at least 500 communities within the Central region, deepening commitment to sustainable livelihoods and environmental stewardship.

Through the programme, families are learning the art of composting by layering fruit peels, vegetable scraps, and dry leaves with soil and water to create nutrient-rich compost in just a few weeks. The results are remarkable. What was once discarded now nourishes thriving gardens, bringing fresh produce to households and hope to communities.

In Kampala’s suburbs and small towns, creativity is flourishing. Plastic bottles, old basins, tyres and traditional sacks are being turned into mini gardens on verandas and rooftops.

“I started with two sacks of spinach just to see if it would work, now I grow tomatoes, onions, and Sukuma wiki in plastic bottles, old tyres, broken basins or tins. My children love watching things grow, and I no longer spend money on vegetables,” says Sarah Namatovu, a mother of three in Kanyanya recounts her journey.

Community groups supported by this initiative, which is backed by FINCA Uganda, are expanding this innovation by converting market waste into organic fertiliser on a larger scale.

The ripple effects are visible everywhere as neighbourhoods are cleaner, waste heaps are smaller, and homes are greener with healthier families.

Beyond beautifying communities, the initiative is unlocking livelihoods. Women and youth are earning from compost, seedlings, and produce, while households reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers. It is a simple yet powerful response to two of Uganda’s biggest challenges, waste management and hunger.

“The solutions are all around us, whether turning garbage into manure or verandas into gardens, communities already have what they need. They just need guidance and opportunity,” Justine Nabawanuka a Research Officer at FINCA Uganda, expands.

Through the Rupert Scofield Vision Fund by FINCA International in partnership with FINCA Uganda, the Waste to Wealth Initiative by Justine Nabawanuka and Scovia Nanziri demonstrates that meaningful change begins from the bottom up.

By nurturing innovation, financial resilience, and environmental stewardship, FINCA is empowering communities to build sustainable livelihoods, proving that the path to a better future can start with something as simple as a banana peel.