NEWS
6th Anniversary Online Auction
Hosted on Facebook
Come celebrate our 6th anniversary on December 5th from 3-5 pm with our live auction hosted through Facebook! All money raised will be directly invested into environmental education and empowerment of the Haitian community. More info here.
Podcast: Trash Talk
Conrad Fox, Round Earth Media
Blada grew up next to a pile of garbage, a memory he could never quite forget. After a promising career as a dancer and a move to the US, he knew he had to do something. Against all odds, he built the first and only recycling depot in a town drowning in garbage. In this episode, we hang out with the employees of the depot and hear Blada's own extraordinary story...
Television Interview (Haiti) - Creole
Télévision Nationale d'Haiti
Television interview conducted by the National Television Service of Haiti. Interview in Creole and broadcasted nationwide...
Podcast: Recycling Mix
Conrad Fox, Round Earth Media
There is garbage everywhere on the streets of Hinche. Most people just pick their way around it. But the people at Kay Blada recycling pick it up. And that's not as easy as it sounds in a town where recycling is still seen as strange. Find out how a visionary group of locals are turning junk into jobs...
Progress Report: Work Trip to Haiti, December 2018
Kay Blada Recycling
The first event of my trip was a marathon hosted by Kay Blada and Hinche Marathon Organisation (HMO), to raise awareness about the issues the community of Center Plateau is confronting. I spent the first 4 days of my 18 day trip working with the HMO team, and the event was a true success...
Desauguste was inspired to form the nonprofit organization, Kay Blada Recycling, after growing up witnessing the extreme poverty and environmental devastation that plague Haiti. Kay Blada Recycling addresses both issues by providing sustainable employment to local Haitians...
Upcoming Work Trip to Haiti, December 2018
Kay Blada Recycling
This is the last trip for the year of 2018, and it's an important and exciting one. Together with the Haitian team, we will be celebrating this year's milestones and most importantly we are going to celebrate our 3rd anniversary! Also, we will be setting new goals for the year 2019...
Status Report, Work Trip to Haiti July 2018
Kay Blada Recycling
This work trip went very well. This time, I traveled with Erin Danford. Erin is KBR's Vice President. She was in Haiti for one week, and I was in Haiti for two weeks. A few weeks before we got to Haiti, there was an intense national protest...
Make Money with Plastic: It's Possible
La Nouvelliste (Haitian Paper - story in French)
In Haiti, plastic waste is part of Haiti's exports. In provincial cities such as Port-au-Prince, many fathers and mothers are engaged in the collection of plastic waste. They sell them to local companies that export them all over the world. If companies in this sector praise their contribution to the cleansing of our streets, they call for a public-private partnership for a sustainable solution to the problem of waste.
Plastic Ocean Project Helping Haiti Held up by Ambush
Plastic Ocean Project Blog
After months of planning, we sent a team of qualified individuals to start the conversation in Haiti. We had been fully aware how dangerous it might be. To mitigate some of the risk, we hired a driver for the week to take the team to various recycling facilities, university, schools, and a children's rescue facility...
Upcoming Work Trip to Haiti, July 2018
Kay Blada Recycling
July will make four months since the last work trip. I am already planning my next work trip to Haiti. This time I will have with me Erin Danford, one of KBR’s board members. Erin is going to Haiti for one week, and we are very excited about it. She will be working on a documentary that will talk about the difficulties the street collectors are facing while doing their work...
Progress Update: Work Trip to Haiti, March 2018
Kay Blada Recycling
This trip was hard from the beginning, with obstacles popping up along each step of the work. The beginning of the trip was marked by a violent, traumatic event that left one person dead and all others injured. I thank all of you for continued interest, support, and trust in my work and in the development and improvement of Haiti...
Kay Blada Recycling: Tackling Tackling Infrastructure Problems in Haiti One Bottle at a Time
Angles - Carolina Planning Journal
"Improving quality of life in Haiti is a cause very close to Blada’s heart. He grew up in Haiti, and moved to North Carolina with his wife several years ago. Since then, he has grown his startup to employ more than 65 Haitians, and the women involved have picked up 65,000 pounds of plastic off the streets of Hinche..."
Recommended Nonprofits
SeaSource Group
"So, here is my curated list of some folks who are protecting the ocean and the creatures that maintain its balance: Kay Blada Recycling. Based out of Snow Camp, NC and directed by Haitian native Johnson Desauguste (aka Blada), Kay Blada seeks to solve Haiti’s severe plastic waste problem while also creating local jobs and educating the public about the benefits of recycling..."
Community Benefit Concert for Recycling in Haiti
Saxapahaw General Store
"Johnson Desauguste created Kay Blada Recycling in 2015. Like Saxy villagers, he knows the creative value of community and the impact direct action can have on the quality of life anywhere. On October 22nd (this Sunday!), Gabe Pelli and Will Ridenour are performing at the Haw River Ballroom to support Kay Blada Recycling in Haiti. The show starts at 3pm!..."
A Concert to Benefit Bringing Power Back to Haitian Recycling Plant
The Daily Tar Heel
“The recycling facility down in Haiti has no power," Danford said. "It’s in an area of a rural town that can't be connected to the power grid. We are partnering with United Solar Initiative, another organization on campus. They agreed to donate solar panels if we donate 20 percent of the cost...”
Student Spotlight: Erin Danford '19
(Member of the Board of Directors)
UNC Institute for the Environment
"What has been the most meaningful experience you’ve had at UNC?
Erin: At the start of my sophomore year, I began working with a non-profit called Kay Blada Recycling. Working with Kay Blada Recycling has opened my eyes to the change that one person can make and also helped me realize that I want to pursue a career in non-profits..."