Black woman opens a factory that produces 1,500 plastic bricks (Gjenge) every day.
Meet Nzambi Matee, a Kenyan entrepreneur and the founder and owner of Gjenge Makers, an innovative company that turns plastic garbage into more lasting bricks than concrete!
Matee, a materials engineer, created the company in 2018 after becoming dissatisfied with the government’s response to the problem of plastic pollution (or lack thereof). She told Reuters, “I was tired of sitting on the sidelines.” Matee buys rubbish that can’t be recycled for a low price from recyclers. She also receives garbage from packaging firms for free.
Except for polyethylene terephthalate or PET, which is commonly used for plastic bottles, her factory processes various types of plastic waste, including high-density polyethylene, which is used in milk and shampoo bottles; low-density polyethylene, which is commonly used as cereal or sandwich bags; and polypropylene, which is used for ropes, flip-top lids, and buckets.
She built her own machinery that mix plastic garbage with sand, heat it, and compress it into bricks of various thicknesses and colors, based on her expertise in the sector. Matee boasts that their product is “almost five to seven times stronger than concrete,” while also being environmentally friendly and inexpensive.
Her enterprise has recycled almost 20 tonnes of plastic trash since its inception, generating 1,500 bricks every day. She stated that she intends to construct a larger production line, which would potentially triple capacity.
Visit gjenge.co.ke for more info
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