When passion becomes a profession, some people really show the world the greatness they can accomplish.
Nzambi Matee, a 29-year-old entrepreneur from Nairobi, is the founder of Gjenge Makers Ltd, a startup that recycles plastic waste into plastic bricks.
The social enterprise has also generated 112 jobs. (1)
After receiving the Young Champions of the Earth award of the United Nations Environment Program, being praised for her ingenuity, Matee simply states “I was tired of being on the sidelines.” (1)
Business Building From Plastic
Educated at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Matee also completed an internship with the Ministry of Mining.
She became a data analyst for the National Oil Corporation of Kenya and went on to launch Lidipama Ventures – a company designing covers for motorbikes. In her spare time, she volunteers for AIDS awareness and has a passion for teaching dancing. (2)
Not wanting to wait for the government to solve environmental problems, Gjenge Makers, was founded by Matee in 2016. To tackle waste pollution, up-cycling from plastics has been the building bricks of all her business plans. (2)
Using her other business wing, Gjenge Enterprise, to collect waste plastics from garbage collectors, women’s, and youth groups, both companies use several technologies to mix recycled plastics with sand. This forms a mixture that is used to make several products. (2)
Taking inspiration by collaborating with partners in Kenya, Germany, and Ghana, Matee has shown that ideas can be re-invented, even under a young business-building belt. (2)
Plastic Bricks Pave The Way
Gjenge Makers’ production ranges from 500 to 1,500 bricks per day and they recycle around 500 kilograms of plastic waste daily. Profit-wise they hope to break even by the end of this year. (1)
Matee first had to work out how to make one brick, and then how to make a thousand. To do this she even had to invent her own machine, and her slab-making workshop was started in her mother’s back garden.
The Kenyan Ministry of Environment and Forestry has said Kenya produces 600,000 tonnes of plastic bottles annually, of which 400,000 tonnes are used locally. Only 9% is currently recycled. (5)
It seems Gjenge Makers’ efforts might be paving some way in tackling Kenya’s waste, and the potential benefits so far seem promising.
Plastic Brick Potential
Gjenge Makers offers three types of slab: a light option for footpaths, a mid-tier paver for commercial projects, and a heavy-duty alternative for roads. (3)
The slabs are 30% cheaper than traditional concrete, can be beautifully colored and laid in patterns, and are certified by the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
They are up to five times stronger than concrete, owing to the lack of air pockets, and are more flexible with a higher melting point. In her YouTube videos, Matee throws the bricks on the ground, demonstrating their durability. (3,4)
She has said to the UNEP: “Plastic is a material that is misused and misunderstood. The potential is enormous, but its afterlife can be disastrous.” (4)
Sheer plastic curiosity has gotten Matee this far. She sums up her business to the world with just three proudly stated words: ‘‘Stronger, Lighter, Affordable.”(4)
