Key facts
- EcoBricks founder Shervin Sharghy believes economic factors, not technical ones, hinder plastic recycling.
- Gjenge Makers recycles plastic waste into bricks that are 30% more durable than concrete.
- Gjenge Makers produces up to 1,500 bricks daily and has created 112 jobs.
Shervin Sharghy, a former investment banker, is establishing EcoBricks, a Hong Kong-based company focused on recycling plastic waste into building materials. Sharghy emphasizes that the primary barrier to plastic recycling is economic, as the costs associated with collection, sorting, cleaning, and processing often exceed the cost of producing new materials from fossil fuels, particularly for smaller-scale operations.
In Kenya, Nzambi Matee's social enterprise, Gjenge Makers, addresses both plastic pollution and the housing crisis by transforming plastic waste into durable and affordable bricks. Matee, a recipient of the UN Environment Program's Young Champion of the Earth award, developed a process to mix shredded, non-recyclable plastic with sand and extrude it at high temperatures. Her bricks are reportedly 30% more durable than concrete and have a melting point higher than 350°C. Gjenge Makers produces up to 1,500 bricks daily, has created 112 jobs, and has recycled approximately 20 metric tonnes of plastic.