Rwandan Investor funding project to recycle plastic waste into construction materials

US$3 million to be invested in the construction of a 'plastic to pavers' recycling plant.

By Chriselle Moraes on
31st December 2021
Plastic Ban in Rwanda

2019 saw a ban on single-use plastics in Rwanda. This was followed by a two year grace period to ensure a smooth transition from plastics to a more sustainable material. Manufacturers were given time to find alternatives to plastics. However, due to the Covid pandemic, the manufacturers found it hard to procure funding for this purpose and this led to delays in the ban implementation.

Sustainable Management of Single-Use Plastics

In June 2021, the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) mobilised the Private Sector Federation (PSF) to step up and start collecting, transporting, disposing and recycling plastic waste. That mobilisation will now continue for five years. In response, the PSF plans to invest 690.6 million Rwandan francs (approx. €560,400) in REMA's 'Sustainable Management of Single-Use Plastics' project.

The proposed 'plastic to pavers' project falls under the collaboration between REMA and PSF. Prosper Muhirwa, a member of the Private Sector Federation (PSF) and founder of Depot Kalisimbi Company Ltd, is funding the recycling plant project with US$3 million.

The recycling plant will be located in the Mageragere sector of Nyarugenge District, Kigali City. On completion, the plant will be able to recycle PET bottles, plastic cutlery, bags and packing materials. It is reported that the pavers produced from the plastics will be more durable than normal cement pavers and will also be weather-resistant. In addition to pavers, the construction materials to be produced will also include columns, tiles, and bricks.
 
“We plan to recycle plastics into pavers and blocks producing 500 square meters per day. The main objective is to preserve the environment, provide affordable and weather-resistant housing for the community and create sustainable and green jobs through plastic recycling,” explains investor Prosper Muhirwa. Construction work will begin at the site in early 2022.

Benefits

The plastics recycling plant is set to benefit Rwanda in a variety of ways. It will help promote green technologies and in maintaining a clean environment. It will also contribute to green buildings and will create sustainable jobs. Plastic waste ending up in landfills will reduce drastically.

Top Photo: Kigali Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda. Kigali is reputed to be one of the cleanest cities in Africa (Derejeb | Dreamstime)

Add a comment

ConstructAfrica welcomes lively debate, but will not publish comments that are threatening, libellous or abusive.

Plain text

  • You can align images (data-align="center"), but also videos, blockquotes, and so on.
  • You can caption images (data-caption="Text"), but also videos, blockquotes, and so on.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a href hreflang> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote cite> <code> <ul type> <ol type start> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <h2 id> <h3 id> <h4 id> <h5 id> <h6 id> <img src alt data-entity-type data-entity-uuid data-align data-caption>