Post by emonseo30 on Mar 11, 2024 1:39:37 GMT -8
Plastic waste , a material that can take centuries or more to disappear, is causing irreparable damage to the planet. At least million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year.
In many cases, specifically in more developed countries, plastic waste is disposed of responsibly and sent to facilities for sorting, recycling or recovery. However, plastic waste generated in developing countries usually ends up in uncontrolled landfills or open dumps, most of which eventually enters the ocean through transport by wind or tides or through waterways such as rivers or sewage . .
Now, many companies are recycling this waste into useful products, such as sports clothing, affordable housing, electric cars, roads, etc. One of them is Gjenge Makers Ltd, a sustainable, alterna Phone Number List tive and affordable building products manufacturing company that transforms plastic waste into durable building materials. These include pavers, tiles, and manhole covers.
A Nairobi-based social enterprise transforms plastic waste from factories and companies into extremely resistant paving stones.
Kenyan entrepreneur transforms plastic waste into bricks
Gjenge Makers was created by Nzambi Matee, who was sick and tired of seeing plastic pile up in her country without much being done to address the urgent problem.
She and her team's durable building materials earned them the Young Champions of the Earth award for from the United Nations Environment Programme.
The plastic waste that Matee's team uses is the type of waste that can no longer be processed; Clearly, they cannot be recycled . His team then takes this plastic waste and creates between , and , paving bricks per day in his factory.
Bricks are usually made of high-density polyethylene, used in milk and shampoo bottles; low-density polyethylene, often used for cereal or sandwich bags; and polypropylene, used for ropes, flip-top lids and buckets. However, it does not use polyethylene terephthalate or PET , which are commonly used in plastic bottles.
Plastic waste is initially mixed with sand in a machine at extremely high temperatures as it acts as a binder. Then the mixed paste is compressed in the next machine into its brick shape.
As plastic is fibrous in nature, it makes brick an extremely resistant and durable material, since its compressive strength increases thanks to the plastic. On top of that, compared to regular bricks, those from Gjenge Makers are lighter, so transportation and installation are accomplished at a faster rate.
Kenyan entrepreneur transforms plastic waste into bricks
Over the three years it has been in operation, the team has recycled metric tonnes (, pounds) of plastic and aims to take it up to metric tonnes (, pounds) before the end of the next financial year. It also aims to expand its sales outside Kenya, further into Africa and ultimately open up to the world.
Pavers currently come in various colors, ranging from gray to blue and red. The team hopes to move on to creating regular building bricks in the future and, for the moment, their paving bricks are being used as pathways in local schools.
In many cases, specifically in more developed countries, plastic waste is disposed of responsibly and sent to facilities for sorting, recycling or recovery. However, plastic waste generated in developing countries usually ends up in uncontrolled landfills or open dumps, most of which eventually enters the ocean through transport by wind or tides or through waterways such as rivers or sewage . .
Now, many companies are recycling this waste into useful products, such as sports clothing, affordable housing, electric cars, roads, etc. One of them is Gjenge Makers Ltd, a sustainable, alterna Phone Number List tive and affordable building products manufacturing company that transforms plastic waste into durable building materials. These include pavers, tiles, and manhole covers.
A Nairobi-based social enterprise transforms plastic waste from factories and companies into extremely resistant paving stones.
Kenyan entrepreneur transforms plastic waste into bricks
Gjenge Makers was created by Nzambi Matee, who was sick and tired of seeing plastic pile up in her country without much being done to address the urgent problem.
She and her team's durable building materials earned them the Young Champions of the Earth award for from the United Nations Environment Programme.
The plastic waste that Matee's team uses is the type of waste that can no longer be processed; Clearly, they cannot be recycled . His team then takes this plastic waste and creates between , and , paving bricks per day in his factory.
Bricks are usually made of high-density polyethylene, used in milk and shampoo bottles; low-density polyethylene, often used for cereal or sandwich bags; and polypropylene, used for ropes, flip-top lids and buckets. However, it does not use polyethylene terephthalate or PET , which are commonly used in plastic bottles.
Plastic waste is initially mixed with sand in a machine at extremely high temperatures as it acts as a binder. Then the mixed paste is compressed in the next machine into its brick shape.
As plastic is fibrous in nature, it makes brick an extremely resistant and durable material, since its compressive strength increases thanks to the plastic. On top of that, compared to regular bricks, those from Gjenge Makers are lighter, so transportation and installation are accomplished at a faster rate.
Kenyan entrepreneur transforms plastic waste into bricks
Over the three years it has been in operation, the team has recycled metric tonnes (, pounds) of plastic and aims to take it up to metric tonnes (, pounds) before the end of the next financial year. It also aims to expand its sales outside Kenya, further into Africa and ultimately open up to the world.
Pavers currently come in various colors, ranging from gray to blue and red. The team hopes to move on to creating regular building bricks in the future and, for the moment, their paving bricks are being used as pathways in local schools.