Recycled plastic bricks that are stronger than concrete
Nzambi Matee an engineer in Nairobi, Kenya has found a way to recycle plastic into bricks that are stronger than concrete. Gjenge Makers, the company Nzambi created to make her plans come to life, is fighting plastic pollution in Kenya and helping pave roads and footpaths. Since 2018, Nzambi managed to recycle more than 20 tonnes of plastic waste into paving bricks and is planning to grow her production line.
Gjenge Makers collect plastic from packaging factories, plastic pickers and also buy it from other recyclers. Then it’s processed using the latest cutting-edge technologies. A combination of shredded plastic and sand is used to form the mixture which is moulded into paving blocks, paving tiles and manhole covers. There are 112 people currently employed by Gjenge which allows for the production of 1,500 bricks and recycle about 500 kilograms of waste plastic a day.