Save water sources; replace plastic with biodegradable items

Small plastic items like lids, caps and straws are dangerous because they are not considered in recycling as it is with large items like bottles. The solution is to replace them with biodegradable items made of materials like wood and paper which have not adverse impact to water sources.

Biodegradable materials are a solution to saving our water sources especially in urban areas. Urban life is a main source if pollution to water sources. Everyday cities produce millions of small plastic items in wastes. In the US alone, 500 million of straws are produced everyday. Water sources are becoming a bin for non-recycled plastics especially small sized ones. In the coming years, waste materials will outnumber fish and other water creatures in their own home environment.

Nature has a solution in place for us to keep our environment clean and sustain life. Replacing plastic use of plastic especially small sized ones like lids with biodegradable materials will help protect water sources and sustain urban life and the world at large.

The idea is not changing peoples behavior towards consumption as it is hard to change peoples' lifestyle, the idea is to change production techniques by replacing pollutant materials with biodegradable ones.

Items that have to be made of biodegradable materials include;

• Lids
• Bottle caps
• Straws
• Packaging paper
• Bottles (e.g lotion bottles)

Biodegradable materials will include;

• Wood
• Plant fiber
• Paper
• Products which grow naturally (e.g straws)

Types of products to be made and materials used;

• Straws
  • Made of "Nsheke" plant which grows in Bukoba, Tanzania (East Africa)
  • Made of bamboo tree
  • Made of paper
• Bottle lids and caps

  
  

  • Made of woods like bamboo trees, neem trees and other trees
  • Made of Plant fiber like banana trees, palm tree only to mention a few
• Packaging paper
  • Made of banana fibre, palm and other plants

Resources needed include;

• Tree farms
• Moulding machines
• Human capital
• Funds

Scaling up this project would involve partnering with;

• Bottling suppliers fast food suppliers in order to use the same channels of distribution to reach consumers without damaging their taste and behavior towards products and services. This will increase the impact in a very short period of time and will reduce market competition between plastic and non plastic distributors.

We should know that we are the cause of climatic change. This means we first should change our behavior towards our environment so that natural source of food and water will be sustainable and thus increase our access to them.

Urban life today destroys instead of sustaining water sources like lakes, ocean and river through disposing of plastic items into water sources and soil as well. Water is a source of food e.g fish, yet water is essential in agricultural production.

Polluting water sources reduces access to water and food. We should sustain them by using biodegradable materials

I am from East Africa in a small town called Bukoba, Tanzania where for centuries communities around Bukoba never used plastics. They used natural products like straws made from a plant called "Lusheke"  ("Nsheke" plural) and "bilele" and "bisusi" as bottlesfor drinking local beer, This kept water sources safe until plastics came around. Basing on this experience, I believe any city adapting to use of biodegradable items and materials will manage to sutain water sources and increase access to water anf food

Consumers, these are the

end users of food, water and products. They will have more access to pollutant free water sources and increased food from lakes, rivers and oceans.

Producers, these are manufacturers and suppliers. They will benefit by having access to cheap and natural packaging for their products. They will be able to transform from plastics to biodegrade without fear of losing market.

New players; these are people and organization that will produce and distribute biodegrades from both developed and developing worlds. They will be supplying to producers and consuming end products from producers.

Conduct physical visits to the bottling suppliers to observe production activities - Major bottling suppliers will start using wooden products and materials like wooden lids and straws

Conducting s small survey at different phases tracking the amount of small plastic item waste comparing follow up results to the baseline data - Major water sources like lakes and rivers will have less small plastic item waste

Conducting a small retail and wholesale market survey on availability and price changes of small plastic items which lead in to waste in water sources - Plastic items sold in wholesale and retail shops will reduce

My solution is unique because it requires no high technology in implementation. It can be executed at both local global levels. It is very practical in developing countries where technology is still not widely used. In these areas, local craftsmen can be involved in executing this solution. This solution has no any adverse impacts on the environment.

On the other hand, when it comes to scaling up, modern technology made be brought in for mass production to meet market demands.

This solution has impact on all levels of human life from the rich to the poor, in developing and developed countries

Urban dwellers will be involved in a new and environmentally-friendly lifestyle by using wooden materials which not only have no environmental issues, but also do not affect consumers with any kind of adverse outcomes.

This solution involves rural dweller not only in using newly clean wooden products, but also in growing plants needed for making products and participating in production at local levels.

Ultimately,  by conserving water sources, we are saving human lives.

By forming partnership with current bottling suppliers and other suppliers who make use plastic packaging, availability of products will be high because the same channels of distributions will be used. Creation of awareness will be simple since distributors will have to advertise their improved products and service. Consumers will want to try and use improved products.

The products will be affordable because of the low cost involved in production.

For products that are locally made, prices will be affordable because of low production cost raw materials are obtained in local

We are currently sustaining ourselves through personal income from other sources and savings. Our plan is to secure funds from donors for pilot and prototyping. After prototyping and pilot we will be able to secure bank loans for scaling up.

Limiting factors includes;

1. Insufficient funds
2. Lack of community support
3. Competition from current plastic producers
4. Lack of awareness in the community

Through Solve,we expect to get access to experts who will help us in developing this idea to and finally execute solution to the community.

We also hope to get connected to people and organization with funds whose problems are solved by our solution.

By connecting with other players, our solution will be shared world wide hence increasing impact.

Our current partners are local innovators and environmental NGOs including KADETFU.

Potential competitors are plastic producers.