Paving the way with plastic…
Plastic often gets a bad rap due to its production and harmful impact on the environment, but this Kenyan woman is repurposing plastic for a better 2nd life – along with helping her community.
A new purpose for plastic
Nzambi Matee is a 29-year-old entrepreneur from Nairobi, Kenya, and founder of a startup called Gjenge Makers Ltd. Her company handles recycling plastic waste and repurposes it into pavers that are STRONGER than concrete.
The idea came from a prototype machine that was able to turn used plastic into paving blocks. A day at the factory using these machines creates 1,500 plastic pavers that are not only durable but affordable as well.
How it all started
Before starting the company, Matee majored in science and was employed as an engineer in Kenya’s oil industry. In 2017, she shifted direction and focused on creating and testing pavers.
Through trial and error, Matee was able to create these pavers using a combination of sand and plastic. She received the materials for free from packaging factories and other recycling facilities.
Matee stated, “It is absurd that we still have this problem of providing decent shelter – a basic human need. Plastic is a material that is misused and misunderstood. the potential is enormous, but its afterlife can be disastrous.”
During her experimentation phase, she was able to figure out which plastics bind best and then designed the machines that would be able to make the pavers on a mass scale.
Helping a community prosper
So far, Gjenge Makers has recycled more than 20 tons of plastic waste into paving bricks. The bricks come in various colors like red, green, blue, brown, and more.
Apart from the color, they’re extremely durable. They’re tested to hold double the weight threshold of concrete blocks.
The business has also been able to help the community by creating 112 job opportunities for trash collectors, women, and youth groups.
Expanding this idea could potentially help build other durable infrastructure in underdeveloped countries and provide useful skills for the people in the community.
What other things do you think these types of repurposed pavers can be used for? Should they become more widespread even in developed countries?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
Betty says
This is brilliant, my congratulation to Matee and her co-workers for helping to solve two of the world’s biggest problems, plastic waste and human shelter. I do have a question,, what is them system for cementing the bricks together? Thank you for being part of the solution, and not part of the problem.🥰😍
Stephen Caskey says
Great ideas
Linda Dust says
This is wonderful. At a time here in the US where recycling has sort of come to a standstill, we could use an industry like this. With all of the homeless in this country I wonder if we couldn’t use something like this to build inexpensive housing for the people who can’t afford safe shelter.
Shirley Wahmhoff says
It would be wonderful if more repurposing of discarded plastic was done throughout the world
Phyllis Doherty says
Would the plastic bricks be useful for garden sheds and other outdoor structures?
Ted Wolf Vestal New York USA says
How much to start up a duplicate operation here in the Binghamton New York.
Doug Webb says
Can you make a full house brick the possibility are endless i really excited for your future all the best Doug webb
Cheryl says
Repurposing plastic in to plastic blocks?! Genius. I’d love to see this option in my local garden center. An exciting alternative to earthen brick path pavers and garden edging. I can foresee larger commercial applications, once the value and viability of this alternate building material is demonstrated. EXCITING
Chris LaVIER says
BRILLIANTLY FANTASTIC!!!
roland says
very interesting we need this product in the third world and any world Right
Audrey Biloon says
Hopefully her brilliance will inspire someone else to work on dredging the oceans of all of the plastic garbage in them, recycle it as she has, and save the sea life and our planet at the same time.
Paul Abbott. says
Rivian Automotive, makes their packaging crates out of recycled plastic taken from the oceans.
Mary says
Develop road surfacing with it!!! Might never get potholes.
Audrey Biloon says
Hopefully her brilliance will inspire someone else to start to dredge the oceans of all of the plastic garbage in them to recycle it and save the sea life and our planet at the same time.
Frank Veldman says
fantastic A+
Richard Stead says
Not a moment too soon. I hope she turns her business into a massive success
Tony says
This process should be sent to Guyana and all of the southern Americas including the Caribbean islands and shores. I have visited in the past and what destroyed my inner being was the tide rolling out on beautiful beaches leaving behind uncontrolled plastic in all shapes. I WAS DONE, but when i tried to implore the state to do do something about it, but all I heard is where do we get the funds–REALLY now maybe they can with a plus minus recycling project like this one.
Would it be possible to use them as veneer walls for similar to how bricks are currently used– into a stackable wall veneer to keep out the elements for Homes and or even slim line for Faux brick walls?
William Hunt says
Since the bricks are molded. why not make them interlocable so building can be done wirhout morter, that would have sticking problems. A sepaeate “joiner part” could be designed to either join bricks top to bottom, side to side, or ene to end.
L Nichols Cook says
I think it is certainly an idea worth pursuing. I am concerned about sensitivity of the plastic to UV light and its long-term stability in general. If it could be demonstrated that the materials would not significantly degrade for a couple hundred years, it could be a real solution. Another issue for recycled materials in general is the quality of the material as it comes in. I heard recently that 70% of materials that recycling centers receive ends up in the landfill, anyway, because of contaminants that render the material too expensive to use. If she is able to either get waste-material directly, or find cost-effective means to process what she gets, then she has a chance to make it work. I believe that is the real challenge.
Kudos to this young woman for her willingness to tackle the problem!