Kenyan women turn plastic waste into bricks stronger than concrete

Four young engineers in Nairobi, Kenya, are making good use of the mounting single-use plastic the country has no capacity to recycle, by turning it into bricks.

In June 2020, Kenya imposed a ban on using single-use plastic waste in protected natural areas, such as national parks, beaches, and forests. Previously in 2017, the country had already made headlines with a ground-breaking law that saw a nationwide ban on plastic bags.

Yet, plastic keeps piling up across the East African country. In the capital Nairobi alone, around 500 metric tonnes of plastic waste is generated every single day. While the country has the capacity to recycle a fraction of it there is fear that a further 500 tonnes will enter the African country. This is as a result of a new free-trade deal between Kenya and the US.

According to a 2018 United Nations report, an estimated 13 million tonnes of plastic waste flows into the oceans every year. Marine species ingest or become entangled by plastic debris, sometimes causing injury or even death.

So female engineer Nzambi Matee founded Gjenge Makers, to tackle the plastic problem. She claims the bricks are five to seven times stronger than concrete.

Matee and her team recycle plastic bottle tops and cooking oil containers into bricks, which they then sell to individual homeowners and schools.

Plastics are everywhere, even in what we eat, says supporter of the project and Greenpeace campaigner Amos Wemanya.

"Microplastics are in our food, they are in our air, they are in our water, and they are causing health problems." he says.

Click on the video above to learn more about this project.