This Kenyan entrepreneur is the brains behind the company that transforms plastic waste into bricks that are built to last.
According to Black Business, Nzambi Matee is a materials engineer and founder of Gjenge Makers. After being frustrated by the government’s actions or lack thereof, with the issue of plastic pollution, Matee took matters into her own hands.
“I was tired of being on the sidelines,” said Matee in an interview with Reuters.
Since 2018, Gjenge Makers has processed various types of plastic waste like high-density polyethylene, used in shampoo and milk bottles; polypropylene, used for flip-top lids, buckets, and rope; and low-density polyethylene, used as bags for sandwiches or cereals into durable bricks that are just as good as those that are made from concrete.
The only material that she does not work with is polyethylene terephthalate or PET, which is commonly used for plastic bottles.
Not only has she managed to turn waste into something good, but Matee also used her expertise to design her very own machine that mixes the waste with sand, heats it, and compresses it into beautiful bricks that vary in color and thickness.
Matee is proud to share that the products her company produces are “almost five to seven times stronger than concrete,” and is not only sustainable but affordable too.
To date, her factory produces 1,500 bricks a day and has recycled over 20 tonnes of plastic waste.
She hopes to someday add another big production line in order to triple capacity.
For more on Gjenge Makers, click here.
