Kenyan entrepreneur is improving the environment one brick at a time
Image: UNEP
Kenyan entrepreneur Nzambi Matee has received international acclaim in recent years for her work recycling plastic waste into paving bricks that are stronger and more durable than concrete. According to recent data, Nairobi, where Matee lives, produces an estimated 2,400 tons of solid waste every day, 20% of which is plastic. An environmentalist at heart, the trained mechanical engineer refused to remain on the sidelines, and instead saw an opportunity to become a part of the solution.
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In 2017, the company Matee founded, Gjenge Makers, was working to address Kenya’s waste issue by collecting and sorting it and working with recyclers to resell the materials. Realizing the sheer volume of plastic waste that was available at her disposal, she then conceptualized a new kind of brick. It took three full years of research, development and refinement before she was able to perfect bricks that were lightweight, cost effective for the consumer and more importantly, that had a significant environmental impact by giving new use to plastic waste.
“What I’m passionate about fluctuates,” says Matee “But what has always remained true and what has always remained constant is I’ve always wanted to have an impact on and to create a dent in the universe as far as the environment is concerned.”
As a trailblazer in a male-driven industry, Matee encourages women existing in spaces where they are a minority to avoid constantly second guessing themselves as “the fear of the unknown tends to swallow the potential of a woman.” She further credits an ability to actively listen to all ideas, never underestimate the power of your own imagination and keep a “just do it” attitude to her growing success in her work.
Winner of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Young Champion of the Earth for Africa in 2020, Matee has now set her sights on expanding the scope of her plastic bricks beyond paving to larger structures. She hopes to partner with influential actors in the construction industry to expand the scope and usage of these bricks, and by extension, increase the environmental impact that would be a welcome outcome of a massive plastic recycling and brick-making operation.
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