Detroit Woman Aims To Help The Homeless Using Your Old Trash

We had a joke in Florida that the only mountains around were the landfills. While it gave us a chuckle there's no doubt that this country has a trash problem. And the majority of people I know do their best with recycling but plenty of trash still ends up in the ocean, the streets, the landfills and so on. But, one woman in Detroit has found a way to transform certain trash into something that will help others.

Eradajere Oleita, 25, is a Nigerian native and environmental activist. She came to Detroit when she was in high school and for the past four years she's been working as a land and water word ambassador for Americrops, as reported by CBS News Channel 58.

More recently, she was inspired by a woman in England who converted empty snack bags into sleeping bags for those who need it and decided to bring that concept to the states. Calling it the 'Chip Bag Project', Eradajere has been collecting empty chip bags, cutting them open, ironing them and lining them with plastic to create sleeping bags for Detroit's homeless population.

On her website, she points out that chip bags that are foil lined are waterproof, lightweight and, most importantly, insulated. The converted sleeping bags are also lined with foam to provide a bit of cushioning too.

When she started a few months ago she had a goal to make 60 sleeping bags by early February. I'm not sure of her official count at this moment, but judging by the Instagram photos and videos (you can follow The Chip Bag Project here) it looks like Eradajere is well on her way to her goal.

It takes about 150 empty chip bags to make one sleeping bag. And you can help. If you'd like to donate your empty, foil lined, chip bags you can find all the information here. Bags can be dropped off, shipped or you can donate monetarily.

I don't know what the big solution is for an overwhelming amount of trash or how to help all the homeless in our country, but Eradajere's project is a perfect example of how something so simple, taking old trash and repurposing it, can be potentially life changing and life saving for those right here in our community.

Locally, the struggles faced by the homeless population have been circulating in the news. Surrounding affordable housing, fires from people just trying to stay warm and so on. I know it may feel like a huge issue to tackle and try to solve but there are little things we can do to make a difference. If you'd like to find out more on how you can help, read below.

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