The Kenyan Lady That Makes Bricks

She uses waste plastic as a base for paving materials

For Nzambi Matee, a 29-year-old Materials Engineer, its paver bricks that are another man’s treasure. Matee is the founder of Nairobi-based Gjenge Makers, which has founded a novel way of converting plastic waste into sustainable materials.

Matee recently won the Young Champion of the Earth 2020 award, the United Nations’ highest environmental honor. Matee worked on the idea for four years before starting production in 2020. She was also involved in the design, execution and fabrication of the machines that manufacture these blocks.

What a wonderful idea! These are made with recycled plastic and sand. They are stronger and more durable than concrete. They are also lightweight and low cost. They hold twice the weight threshold of conventional concrete blocks.

What more can you ask for?

“I wanted to use my education in applied physics and materials engineering to do something about the problem of plastic waste pollution. But I was very clear that the solution had to be practical (living in Kenya practicality is everything), sustainable and affordable. The best way to do this was by channeling the waste into the construction/building space and finding the most efficient and affordable material to…