Meet Kenyan woman turning plastic waste into building materials

This fueled her to start Gjenge Makers which specializes in turning plastic waste into sustainable construction materials.

Rather than ignore the perennial problem, she made the choice to contribute to its resolution.

And with a background in materials engineering and a strong commitment to sustainability, Nzambi started producing high-quality paving blocks and construction bricks from discarded plastic, a process that reduces environmental impact while providing affordable building materials.

"Plastic waste is not just a Kenya problem, it's a worldwide problem and we have to tackle it head on. We produce sustainable low-cost construction materials made of recycled plastic waste with the aim of addressing plastic pollution and affordable housing,” she said.

According to her, the reason she opted for the building materials is because building materials contribute to housing, which  is a basic need.

“Africa is a growing market with a lot of construction works going on, and this provides a practical reason to recycle plastic. We decided what more can we do instead of just sitting in the sidelines and complaining,” she said.

So, what makes their construction material stand out?

“We are stronger, cheaper and lighter compared to the normal concrete. We produce about a thousand pavers per day, we are in the process of redesigning a production preprocess that will increase our production to four thousand per day,” she said.

Plastic trash is an international issue. The issue has an impact on ecosystems, wildlife, and even human health from the bottom of the ocean to the summit of mountains. It can take up to 500 years for waste that is carelessly left behind to break down.

John Luka explains the several stages to Gjenge’s mechanical plastic waste recycling. That the first stage involves pre-processing; which includes the sourcing and collection of plastic waste.

The waste is cleaned, shredded, and separated into different plastic types. The processing stage involves the mixing of waste plastic with sand and the preferred colour.

“We buy the plastic waste from dumpsites like Dandora and we collect them in tones, we use heavy plastics. The final product is something we are proud off knowing that it all came from waste yet it’s beautiful and sustainable,” he said.

The final stage involves a hydraulic press, includes breaks the mixture into different shapes and sizes depending on whatever block you’re making.

 “Then the materials are moved to the cooling bath where we reduce the temperatures to room temperature. Once the blocks are cool, they are ready to be laid,” he said.

What sets Gjenge Makers apart is not just its environmental solution but its social impact.

 Allan Kihoro operates from Grogon, here he collects discarded car bumpers for resell to recyclers like Gjenge.

These bumpers may look like waste but it sustains our livelihood., we sort the them and the good ones are resold and the bad ones are sold as waste. What might seem as a useless product keeps us employed, “he said.