An Eco-Friendly Manufacturing Plant is Turning Plastic into Bricks
After Kenya imposed a ground-breaking law in 2017 on the
use, manufacturing and import of plastic bags as part of global efforts to
limit plastic waste, four engineers in Nairobi saw an opportunity in the
estimated 500 tonnes of plastic waste the city generates daily and founded
Gjenge Makers — a company that recycles plastic bottle tops and cooking oil containers
into environmentally friendly bricks.
Getting ready for the next production we project to recycle about 30 metric tonnes of plastic waste by end of this year.#youngchamps#Kazimtaani@HousingUrbanKE @PSCharlesHinga @HousingUrbanKE pic.twitter.com/luFuxUGHzo
— Gjenge Makers Ltd (@gjenge_makers) November 26, 2020
Nzambi Matee, a co-founder of Gjenge Makers, explains how it
came about.
"So we started by collecting plastic waste and selling
it to recyclers. That was in 2017, and then we realised three to six months
later that we were collecting more waste than we could sell, than the recyclers
could absorb. So that's when we decided what more we could do with the
remaining plastic, as a value-added aspect, to see if we could put a product on
the market using the plastic waste, and that's how we started making the paving
stones".
Grey pavers sell for around 8 euros per square meter, while
coloured pavers sell for around 10 euros.
Matee describes the logic behind the ecologically-sound
operation, "Once the manufacturers package the soft drinks, or whatever
product they are packaging, once the consumer finishes with that product, they
have nowhere else to take it other than the litter box. And so, with that, we
decided why don't we create a plug where instead of having the plastic to go
the dumpsite, we intercept it on the way, and hence we started the making
business."
We @gjenge_makers are converting plastic waste into paving blocks #Kazimtaani pic.twitter.com/ugLz7RH4q5
— Gjenge Makers Ltd (@gjenge_makers) June 15, 2020
The waste is then crushed into small pellets, sorted
according to colour, mixed with sand and the desired colour pigment — before
being taken onto the production line where they are moulded and put into a
hydraulic press.
Ann Muthoni, the Programme Coordinator at Mukuru Slums
Development Projects, shares some inside information, "We had used the
ballast before, but most of the trainees were complaining the ballast was
damaging their shoes, so the Gjenge pavers, we find them very friendly. Walking
on them feels like you are walking on rubber*
Gjenge Makers can currently produce up to 1,500 bricks a day
with homeowners and schools as clients.
The West Dumping Plastic Waste in Africa
Although many African countries are making an effort to
overcome the pressing issue of plastic waste, their efforts are often thwarted
— as many countries in the Western world have used many nations in Africa as
their plastic waste dumîng ground.
In April, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) - whose
members include Shell, Exxon, Total, DuPont and Dow, companies already guilty
of polluting many rivers in Africa via oil drilling and oil spills, proposed
investments in recycling in Kenya with a catch.
The recycling investment deal is one only provided that the
recipient country accepts US plastic waste i.e. Kenya would get about 500
million tonnes of plastic waste exports from the US per year.
Plastic But Not a Superficial Issue
According to a 2018 United Nations (UN) report, an estimated
13 million tonnes of plastic waste flows into the planet's oceans each year.
Consequently, marine species ingest or become entangled by plastic debris —
sometimes causing injury or even death and little is known about the effects of
microplastics on sea creatures or humans.
A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report stated that
levels of microplastics in drinking water don't appear to be risky, but
research has not thorough with more needing to be conducted on how this could
affect the environment and the health of the various animal populations.
Its another one.... what do you think of the color combo?@PSCharlesHinga @YouthFund_Ke @VMwongera #youngchamps pic.twitter.com/HsZilOg7PH
— Gjenge Makers Ltd (@gjenge_makers) November 3, 2020
In June 2020, Kenya banned the use of single-use plastics in
protected natural areas - such as national parks, beaches, and forests in June
2020. However, single-use plastic waste can still be found across the East
African country.
Environmentalists and recyclers worldwide are still looking
into new ways to overcome the issue of plastic waste. - Africanews
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