Glass &plastic waste reuse.

Using plastic and glass wastes to produce calverts and bricks that are used in construction of homesteads and drainage systems.

Production of plastics started in the 1950’s and the volumes of the plastics have outpaced those of almost any other material. Society’s potential to deal with the increasing wastes of plastics produced and discarded has been overwhelmed. Plastic production has exponentially increased and presently surpasses the estimated 359 million tonnes of production world wide, nearly 40% is intended to be used in packaging, which is for single use and only 9% of all the plastic has ever been recycled. Approximately two-thirds of all the plastic ever produced has been released into the environment.Moreso, glass is also in high demand world wide as it is applied in packaging,house windows,car windows and many others. About 130 million tonnes of glass are produced each year worldwide. The recycling volumes are currently estimated to be approximately 27 million tonnes which is about 21% of the total production. Only container glass manufacturers have achieved a 90% recycling rate in some countries. In Uganda, more than 600 tonnes of plastic is disposed of each day. With no formal waste collection,over90% is sent into landfill or burnt illegally. The other wastes are disposed of in water bodies. The main River in Mbarara’s South western section,River Rwizi is choked with the plastic bottles and other waste causing flooding in nearby towns.Mr. Jacob Mukasa, a senior environmental officer, reported that aquatic animals become physically entangled in plastic trash in Lake Victoria, the world’s second fresh lake. Many farmers in Mbarara have complained due to high plastic wastes in their gardens that no longer allow crops to grow and yield. All the mentioned challenges are mainly due to lack of proper disposal and recycling strategies in Mbarara District, Uganda.

Reusing waste glass and sand as a matrix , waste plastic containers as a fibre to produce calverts and bricks.This involves crushing of the plastics and glass wastes. Moreso, it involves melting of the plastic and mixing with specific ratios of glass and sand. The resultant product which is a slurry is placed in a mould of any shape to acquire either a brick or a calvert. Below is a protype of a calvert and the mould used.

Plastic pollution is affecting everyone directly or indirectly for example farmers, individuals who collect water for domestic use in rivers like River Rwizi and Lakes like L.Victoria. Most Ugandans are farmers and their farmlands are being affected by  plastic and glass waste pollution especially those near urban centres and damp sites. The land has become unproductive because the wastes cannot allow  proper water penetration and aeration into the soil. Moreso,fishermen have experienced a decrease in catch  rates because fish is trapped in the dumped plastic wastes. A case in point is a scenario reported by Mr. Jacob Mukasa, a senior environmental officer, said that the disposal of garbage in the environment  led to the death of 10 cows each month in Bugiri District after eating plastics. From personal experience, one of the team members home farm, has lost 4 goats after swallowing salt containers and salt bags in a period of 3 years.Our solution will give plastics and glass wastes high value, meaning that every individual will keep them as they will be a source of income to them.The wastes will be purchased, collected and recycled into  calverts and bricks.This will reduce the amount of the glass and plastic wastes that are being dumped in water sources and on land. Moreso, the calverts will be used in drainage systems and bricks in construction of homesteads. These will be cheap compared to the existing ones where cement is used.

My team is blessed with strong talents of different abilities and skills that allow us to  identify the major problem that has affected our society  and come up with a feasible,affordable and sustainable solution. Abaho Criscent is a final year student doing a bachelor’s degree in petroleum Engineering and Environmental Management. He has experience in welding and joinery has helped in fabrication of the mould. Moreso, has attended different innovation competitions under organisations like Starthub Africa and CAMTECH Uganda hence acquiring strong ideation, problem solving and critical thinking skills. As a former student leader, he has strong communication and pitching skills and team coordination skills. Tumuhaise Fosca is volunteering as an assistant lecturer in the Laboratories and Metal workshops at Mbarara University Laboratories .The experience she has attained has been of great importance in the operation of equipment we used in coming up with our prototype. In addition,she has strong interpersonal and  problem solving skills. Being from a farming background,she has passion for the environment issues that affect agriculture. Nakanyike Gloria is a student of electrical engineering and has some experience at construction sites which has helped us identify the potential application of our project especially making Bricks. 

We have engaged the community to understand the real impact of the plastic and glass wastes on the environment especially that around Mbarara District. We have been working with Mbarara University Laboratory Department to help in understanding and coming up with our prototypes. We are looking forward to work with other organisations with similar interests.

The prototype produced has plastic as a fibre instead of cement . It also contains crushed glass and sand as the matrix. Plastic and glass waste are apparently everywhere in Uganda and very cheap. These will be cheaper and affordable compared to purchasing cement t o use. Glass also reduces the quantity of sand we purchase to produce our products.  These factors make our solution innovative,feasible and sustainable. Hence many people will support our solution.

Through making glass and plastics wastes useful and valuable, we will create employment opportunities for the individuals who will be collecting them. Moreso, these wastes will nolonger be damped into the environment as they will be a source of income.

This all starts with a collection of plastic containers and glass wastes. These  are crushed using manual means or a crushing machine if available. The plastics are also melted in steel pans under high temperatures. The sand glass mixture is mixed with the hot molten plastic to form a slurry that is allowed to settle into a mould of a calvert or a brick. These are then cooled with water.

Our solution is at the prototype stage. We intend to begin with our community and then Africa at large because the problem we are tackling is in every African Country.

Our major barrier is shortage of funds to implement our solution despite our willingness to do it.

We have no partnerships with any organizations currently. Though we are very willing to have one.

Our  main source of income will come be from sales of our products. The others sources can be funds from any sponsors.