Re-Imagined Plastic Gold

This project is committed to solving the resilient ecosystems challenge by focusing on plastic waste in Kenya. This will be by utilizing the plastic waste as raw materials for manufacturing creative, reusable, durable and pocket friendly products that are essential in the lives of kenyans such as water collecting vessels, plastic bricks, ladders, tiles and paving blocks.

This solution would largely address the global plastic waste menace that has left most states helpless about their plastic waste by tapping this unlikely raw material to come up with creative reusable products. It's implementation would also guarantee great strides towards achieving all the 17 SDGs directly and/or indirectly

Our Solutions is aimed at achieving Resilient ecosystems by tackling plastic waste innovatively to rehabilitate terrestrial and water ecosystems. The world produces 381 Million tonnes in plastic waste yearly. 50% of this is single-use plastic and only 9% has ever been recycled. Plastic packaging results in 80 million tonnes of waste. More than 1 million plastic bags end up in the trash every minute. The world uses over 500 billion plastic bags a year- that's 150 plastic bags for each person on earth. These statistics clearly indicates that the plastic waste menace is so significant it can't be ignored.

The project was thus designed to rethink plastic waste into raw materials for essential products for the local and hopefully global population. While the main mission is to tackle plastic waste for Resilient ecosystems as a social venture, other opportunities have surfaced such as it being an economic opportunity, offering platform for innovation and creativity.

My solution is to transform the plastic waste into useful, reusable end products. It utilizes the waste by melting at high temperatures and pouring the melt in specially designed moulds to come up with different end products such as paving blocks. The major processes are; waste mining, cleaning, sorting, melting, moulding and packaging. The technology used during the manufacturing process is primitive, the mould designs are designed from wood and curved stones

My solution serves the general population indirectly through use of the end products. The underprivileged slum population are the largest direct beneficiaries of the project because they are involved in every step of the process from harvesting of the raw material (plastic waste) to use of the end products. To understand their needs, I have in several occasions interacted with slum dwellers on the challenges plastic waste pose to them financially and to their wellbeing. Living in the same areas also means I've first hand experience with the challenges.

Their preferred mode of disposal of plastics is by burning, which poses health and environmental hazards. This is due to inability to consistently pay the garbage collectors. It thus follows that, this innovative solution that seeks to monetize the rather unwanted plastic waste combined with their desire for a cleaner environment will address various of their most urgent needs which are economic empowerment and clean cities.

The damage plastic waste is doing to ecosystems is becoming irreparable. The choking effect of plastics along with other harmful of their effects are greatly reducing the resilience of our ecosystems, and their ability to adapt effectively such as poisoning of the soil and water resources. This project will greatly help in the recycling of such waste this mitigating the effects which will directly impact positively the life of every individual. Throught it's full implementation, the vulnerable and exposed target audience of the poor will be able to be brought into the environmental efforts by collecting them and taking active part in the manufacturing process. Their services will be paid for, which means they'll achieve economic empowerment.

The project is at the prototype stage. This is because, deubto lack of government support, I've faced challenges in acquiring appropriate machinery and equipment. I have thus just designed a prototype to demonstrate how the whole process will be done. I've used primitive technology to design prototypes of products we seek to produce. More ideas of products have already been drafted, and will be actualized once funding is available

This is an innovative solution because it seems to make everyday essentials of same quality from cheap and readily available raw materials as opposed to the already existing products in the market. Innovation is also demonstrated from the fact that it'll employ even the unlearned and unskilled individuals in the community, thus reducing the level of discrimination on grounds of academic qualifications. It also achieves innovation because it manages to entice local communities to join in climate action efforts who would have otherwise felt reluctant due to lack of opportunities for them to benefit financially, since that's their biggest worry (ability to provide for their families)

50

80,000

+1 Million

1. Access funding 

2. Renting/ purchase of land (according to availability of finances)

3. Acquiring of equipment

4. Massive campaign to popularize the project to mobilize People to collect the raw material and establish local collection points 

5. Hiring of critical personnel (Technical staff, sales and management team)

6. Marketing of our products to diversified prospective buyers

7. Starting production

At the moment, I've been working on the idea by myself.

Having been brought up in the poor neighborhoods of Nairobi's slum regions Eastlands, I have experienced the toll of unregulated dumping on diverse matters such as health implications, littered streets and other hazards such as kids accidentally picking up plastic bags along streets and putting them on and choking, some to death.

As a professional Engineer, I have a rich skillset and abilities to put together a team that can assist in implementing this project to fruition. People prefer burning of plastic waste to avoid cost of paying garbage collectors. Thus, we seek to offer alternative ways to help them get rid of unwanted plastic waste whereby they can also make money from it. This will be a double incentive to get them to welcome the idea and assist us in keeping the streets free of plastic litter.

At the implemention stage, I aim to work with people from the underprivileged areas especially on collecting and preparing of the raw material (plastic waste). For the stages that'll require more expertise, I seek to prioritize recruiting workforce from the poor regions.

I am working towards selecting a team that complies to the ⅔ gender rule. This will form the management board. The preference is to recruit members on a competitive basis, by vetting according to skillset, exposure and demonstrated passion through previous activities

I am applying to Solve specifically for the funding, the project is at the prototype stage and only finances are hindering it's actualization at an Industrial scale. I am also hopeful for guidance and networking, either to other workshops or related challenges where I can get more exposure to expound and add value to the project

Due to the complexity of running a company, It will require expertise in different departments for the overall success of the venture, from sourcing human capital, legal rights, public relations to finances. We thus aim and expect and would appreciate any assistance in acquiring the expertise or training to equip us with the necessary know-how.

UNEP, Ministry of Environment (Kenya), Solve Members.

These are partners that have specialized in environmental matters and working with them would expose me to great learning curves in our efforts towards resilient ecosystems.

The project aims to address refugee status directly by manufacturing products that will assist in improving the standards of their living conditions, in particular, heavy duty plastic roofing, building blocks and tiles at relatively cost effective prices and easy to assemble and durable housing. The project also aims to source human capital from the refugee, Internally Displaced Person's and people from underprivileged areas this economically empowering them. This also promotes their inclusion in building the economy

My pitch aims to solve the Resilient ecosystems challenge, which is one of the challenges whose solutions qualify for the prize. The project also aims at creating sustainable communities by restoring and rehabilitating ecosystems while creating employment

This pitch aims to empower people across all genders. Since women are more adversely affected by life challenges and are the majority of dwellers in underprivileged regions, this project aims at empowering them through employment, this they'll be able to afford better lives for themselves and their dependants. This will help bridge the inequality gap and curb their vulnerability

By rehabilitating wetlands, rivers from plastic waste, fish will have bigger areas to brood. It'll also reduce fish dying of plastic poisoning and related issues thus there'll be an increase in fish over time. Thus reducing the risk of overfishing, as it is, with few fish surviving due to plastic toxicity in the water

This pitch provides alternative ways of disposing plastic waste that is safer than burning in open places as is the most widespread practice locally. It thus will reduce the levels of harmful substances that are released to the environment as a result of unregulated incineration.

The pitch is leveraging Technology by employing innovative ways to manufacture reusable products from plastic waste that is harmful to environment and people. It also aims to restore dignity to underprivileged communities by providing alternative, standard and cost friendly products for their housing and road infrastructure needs

Throuch the project's aim of curbing the plastic waste menace, the employment opportunities arising will definitely contribute towards alleviating poverty, and contribute to a sustainable world through Technology