Kenyan Engineer Turns Plastic Waste Into Bricks Stronger Than Concrete

February 5, 2021

A materials engineer in Kenya is producing sustainable low-cost construction materials made of recycled plastic waste and sand.

Kenyan woman turns plastic waste into bricks
Nzambi Matee / UN Environment Programme

Nzambi Matee opened a factory in Nairobi that creates bricks from plastic waste that other facilities "cannot process anymore, they cannot recycle."

Every day, the factory produces about 1,500 bricks, in different sizes and colors.

"Our product is almost five to seven times stronger than concrete," Matee told Reuters.

Kenyan woman turns plastic waste into bricks
UN Environment Programme

Matee says her factory has recycled 20 tonnes of plastic waste since its founding in 2017.

"Nzambi Matee's innovation in the construction sector highlights the economic and environmental opportunities when we move from a linear economy, where products, once used, are discarded, to a circular one, where products and materials continue in the system for as long as possible," said Soraya Smaoun, who specializes in industrial production techniques with the United Nations Environment Programme.

Watch the video below to learn more.


feel good videoDogs Are Forced To Wear The Things They Steal — And It’s Hilarious

feel good storiesPeople Are Posting the Ugliest Photos of Their Cats and It’s Hilarious

feel good storiesEngland Fan Uses $13,000 That He Saved for His First Home to Take His Grandad to the World Cup Instead

feel good videoAn Audience Member Reveals Something Incredible About Betty White

feel good videoOne Small Note. One Thoughtful Stranger. And One Unforgettable Moment

feel good videoLittle Boy Hits His Head, Has Priceless Reaction To Girl's Healing Kiss

feel good videoThis Disappointed Dog Watching Another Dog Eat a Hot Dog Is Now Famous

feel good videoThis Bride Was Not Expecting the Man Who Walked Her Down the Aisle