Lesotho - Bricks from plastic and sand!

ROMA – His bricks are not made of cement or crushed stone. Not even water. It's just plastic waste and sand.
Tšehla Kata, a former student of the National University of Lesotho (NUL), recycles plastic waste into pavement bricks. He calls himself Ralitoti-oa-Setene.

Based in Teyateyang (TY) Ha Ntjabane, he does not only have great ideas but he turns them into reality. Not only is he building these bricks, he has built the processing equipment that makes them.
The young fellow totally understands the concept of saving the earth. He is recycling otherwise troublesome plastic waste. He is also saving water, an increasingly valuable resource. His product is free from cement, one of those materials that contribute the most to climate change per unit.
Ya! For every kg of cement (Portland Cement) you use, there is another kg of carbon dioxide dumped into the air.

Many people view plastic waste as a nuisance that only needs to be disposed of into dumpsites and landfills as soon as possible.
“I see plastic waste as a resource to build opportunities, create something worthwhile and, obviously, solve the plastic pollution problem,” Kata said.

The bricks are characterised by good compressive strength, high water resistance, beauty and, to top it all, great insulation.
Plastics, as we well know, are some of the poorest conductors of heat in town. So walking over his pavers in both winter and summer ain't no creating no pain. In a country like Lesotho with temperate climates and high altitudes, which makes for too cold winters and hot summers, these bricks are a must.

The cost of producing these bricks is unquestionably very low. That is because cement, crushed stone and water are out of the equation.
So the bricks are sold cheap.
Again, plastics, as we know, are so good at fending off water and moisture. So he encourages especially septic tank builders to use these bricks. Such tanks need to be waterproof.

“This business idea came from my other business where I used to collect trash from all around TY,” he said.
“I have been providing people with metal garbage bins and refuse bags. Once or twice in a month I would collect it and send it to the dumpsite and charge a fee for that. Collecting trash only two Saturdays a month forced me to think out of the box, how could I do more? That is how I figured I must do something with my trash.”
For him it was supposed to be something very basic, something related to recycling.

Other business ideas before collecting trash, such as gifts delivery, decorating and a mini-market, had not brought any success or satisfaction. Would this one work?
He realised that much of the waste plastic was Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE). He was determined to do a detailed research about it.
“I started with trial and error experiments. I would make the bricks and they would crumble. Sometimes they would crack. We never gave up however. Patience and hard work got us where we are now.”

It was only recently when he felt the bricks were finally ready that he sent them for testing to confirm their properties.
“Indeed they were ready,” he said with a smile.
Now, Mr Kata has employed six of his friends who assist in manufacturing these bricks. He also weighs and buys plastic from scavengers who collect it from different places. Talk about job and opportunities creation!

“It is still very challenging. We work in the night to avoid heat from the scorching sun and the heat from processing the bricks. We sleep during the day. But we are very passionate about what we do. That's what keeps us going. Soon, this adventure will be very huge,” he said.
Kata is very aware that people do not build trust easily and are only buying his bricks for minimal projects like building shelters for animals and paving. He understands it will take time to build trust.
With time, and if they are consistent, they will use these bricks for building houses.
“I am very grateful already for the massive support Basotho are showing,” he said.

Own Correspondent

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