Funded by the Canadian government, the Afri-Plastics Challenge initiative aims to reduce amount of plastic waste both on land and in the ocean in and around the African continent
By EB Reporter
Five Kenyan start-ups out of a total nine start-ups have scooped £2M (Kshs 330M) as part of the Afri-Plastics Challenge, a continent-wide plastics innovation challenge worth £4.1M.
Out of the 9 shortlisted start-ups, five were women-led, and two from Kenya winning a total of £500,000, demonstrating the role women play in designing sustainable innovative solutions that benefit communities.
Run by innovation prize experts Challenge Works and funded by the government of Canada, the Afri-Plastics Challenge initiative aims to reduce amount of plastic waste both on land and in the ocean in and around the African continent.
Speaking at the Awards ceremony, Principal Secretary, State Department of Environment and Climate Change Eng. Festus K. Ng’eno, revealed that 37,000 metric tonnes of plastic were being dumped into the Indian ocean annually causing devastating disruption in the country’s marine ecosystem, adding that his Ministry had invested heavily in both policies and law enforcement to win the fight against plastic pollution.
“We have banned the manufacturing, retailing, distribution and importation of plastic carrier and flat bags for commercial or household use since 2017; in 2019 we also prohibited their use in protected areas. To guide the country’s transition to a green growth and circular economy pathway, we implemented the Green Economy Strategy and Implementation Plan (2016-2030), as well as The Sustainable Waste Management Act 2022,” he explained.
“These investments have strengthened Kenya’s position globally as an environmental steward and we are excited to see that other African countries have taken similar commitments against plastics,” he added.
Tackling plastic pollution in Africa
Christopher Thornley, Canada’s High Commissioner in Nairobi said plastic pollution is an issue that affects everyone. “Plastics that make their way into the marine ecosystem are just as damaging whether they originated in Mombasa or Montreal, Lagos or London. The winners of the Afri-Plastics Challenge show there is a way forward for establishing a successful circular economy for plastic waste, with innovations capable of changing how we all use and dispose of plastic – not only in Africa but around the world.”
Jonathan Slater, International Development Director, Challenge Works observed that the initiative provided a unique opportunity to create lasting change and forge a sustainable, plastic-free future for Africa.
“We are proud of all the innovators who participated and look forward to seeing the impact that those who won more than £4 million will have; from doubling recycling rates to providing new sources of income for families, pioneering companies converting invasive plants in Lake Victoria into biodegradable materials and businesses creating affordable cooking gas from trash.”
Mombasa-based Mega Gas
Among the winners was Nairobi-based Mega Gas, which seeks to to convert unsorted plastic waste, especially polyethylene, into clean and affordable cooking gas through a patented process.
Its thermal cracking process of distillation and compression is thought to produce clean gaseous fuel without generating emissions, residue, or further pollution, with the fuel harvested in metal cylinders for easy use and handling.
“4.2 million people die annually from indoor pollution because they do not have access to clean and affordable energy; meanwhile, humanity produces about 300 million tons of plastic waste each year, with much of this ending up in our rivers and polluting our planet,” says CEO Peter Njeri.
“Mega Gas aims to solve both of these problems by recycling plastic waste into clean, affordable energy source. We use a patented thermal cracking process that converts plastic waste into a gas which is harvested, compressed into cylinders, and sold at affordable prices.”
Invasive water hyacinth plants in Lake Victoria
Another Kenyan startup, Chemolex’s Biopactic solution, claims to be a recyclable, reusable, and 100% biodegradable material that hopes to replace single-use plastic polymers in food and product packaging.
Produced from invasive water hyacinth plants that grow in Lake Victoria, Kenya, the solution hopes to cut down on the environmental, economic, and health impacts of their aggressive growth as well as cutting down on plastic waste.
“We supply 100% biodegradable and sustainable bioplastic material – Biopactic – that is a superior alternative to the single use plastic polymers used in food and product packaging and diaper manufacturing,” says Clifford Okoth Owino, founder and CEO of Chemolex.
“Our patented precision bio-conversion technology enables us to sustainably utilise the invasive water hyacinth plants for bioplastic production to replace the use of these single-use plastics.
“Over the course of the last year, we have completed market research and analysis for our products and have started commercial production and supply. We currently supply more than 8,000 pieces of biodegradable bread bags and other customised packaging solutions across the Kenyan market.
Chemolex has also developed biodegradable diapers and sanitary pads which are currently available in the Kenyan market.”
Virtual reality to create awareness
The third Kenyan winner, Ukwenza VR, reaches out to Kenyan consumers via virtual reality technology to demonstrate the journey taken by discarded plastic at end of life. Its aim is to raise awareness of the environmental damage caused by plastic waste and encourage consumers to dispose of their plastic waste effectively.
“Plastic pollution is a challenge that affects many cities and communities in Kenya,” says Ukwenza VR co-founder Njeri Ndonga.
“The main cause of this in informal settlements is an over-reliance on plastic and a lack of adequate waste management systems. There is also inadequate sensitisation within communities to the effects of plastic waste on their lives and environment.
“Schools generate a significant amount of waste. School children lack skills, knowledge, and support because they have no basic formal or comprehensive environmental curriculum that teaches about plastic waste. While the current school curriculum touches on plastics, it is not enough to bring about behaviour change without an investment in their supplementary education.
“We work to bridge the learning gap by providing immersive and engaging educational virtual reality (VR) content that complements the current educational systems in urban areas in Kenya. VR encourages problem solving, decision-making and behaviour change in both children and adults.”
Promoting responsible waste management practices in Mombasa
Additionally, Mombasa-based Baus Taka Enterprise’s #StopPlasticPollution Campaign is intended to promote the segregation of plastic waste from its source and spread awareness of responsible waste management practices.
Its mobile app hosts competitions on plastic segregation with monetary incentives, as well as offering redeemable points for medical services in partnership with health clinics.
According to co-founder and CEO Dr Tayba Hatimy, “Mombasa is Kenya’s second largest city and East Africa’s largest port. It generates an estimated 708 tons of waste daily, 42 tons of which is plastic waste, of which 44% is uncollected.
Households in Mombasa do not have access to public waste management services, and so turn to informal waste managers, who often illegally dump mixed waste. This waste then makes its way into Mombasa’s rivers and oceans.
“The #StopPlasticPollution Campaign addresses this plastic mismanagement challenge at the source, to reduce marine plastic pollution. The Baus Taka mobile app is a platform to collect data on waste, and provide monetary incentives to members of the community who sort and trade their used plastic, which is then collected by Baus Taka and transported to recycling centres.
“Users are rewarded with points which can be traded for health services at partner health clinics, or access to entrepreneurship training to support their success as plastic waste managers.”
Women empowerment
The successful innovations developed through the Afri-Plastics Challenge have paved the way to revolutionise Africa’s approach to reducing reliance on plastic. They are also supporting the empowerment of women and girls by creating economic opportunities for women. 60% of entries that made it to the final 40 were women-led.
Innovators focused on recycling solutions reported a 113% increase in monthly collecting and processing during the prize. In the long-term, the development and scaling of the innovators’ solutions will lead to the creation of new, sustainable local enterprises, creating alternatives to single-use plastics and improving collection and processing of waste.
Below is the exhaustive list of the winners of the Afri-Plastic Challenge:
£1 million was awarded to Togo’s Green Industry Plast (GIP-TOGO) – a recycling business that helps households earn a living through waste plastic collection. GIP-TOGO then sorts, shreds, cleans and bags the shredded plastic to be used again, including in ecological paving slabs.
- Kenya’s Chemolex won £750,000 to scale production of Biopactic, a biodegradable alternative to plastic made from invasive water hyacinths that grow aggressively in Lake Victoria. The next generation material can completely replace single use plastic in food and product packaging – not only reducing plastic pollution, but dealing with an invasive plant impacting Kenya’s marine ecosystem too.
- £500,000 was won by Mega Gas in Kenya which converts waste plastic into affordable cooking gas for people living on less than US$1 a day. It uses a thermal cracking process that creates no emissions, residue or pollution to turn plastic pollution, such as polythene, into a fuel for rural families.
- Chanja Datti (Nigeria) awarded £750,000 –a woman-led business based in Abuja, it converts collected recyclable waste into commercially viable products. It collects, sorts and bails plastic before selling it on to manufacturers.
- EcoCoCo Homecare (Kenya) awarded £250,000 a woman-led that has developed alternatives to plastic homeware products that use fibres from coconut husks left over from coconut oil production, including scouring pads, scrubbing brushes and brooms.
- Toto Safi (Rwanda) – awarded £100,000 – a a woman-led diapers-on-demand service which makes sustainable cloth diapers a realistic alternative to single-use plastic-based nappies. Through its app, parents can order clean and sterilised nappies at an affordable cost, while used nappies are taken away to be cleaned.
- Catharina Natang (Cameroon) awarded £250,000 a woman-led business training fashion designers in Africa to make sustainable choices in the textiles they use and understand plant-based alternatives to polymer-based materials.
- Ukwenza VR (Kenya) awarded £250,000 uses virtual reality to explain the journey of a piece of plastic after it is dumped, including the damage it does to local environments, to persuade people to make different choices around plastic consumption and disposal.
- Baus Taka Enterprise (Kenya) awarded £250,000 a woman-led business that developed a mobile app to encourage people to segregate their plastic waste – through competitions it offers cash rewards and points that can be redeemed for medical services in partnership with health clinics.
