About Us
Our Model | Our Story | Our Team
Our Mission
"To create green, environmentally friendly, sustainable solutions to lift people out of abject poverty in Uganda."
Our Model
Eco Brixs is a closed-loop recycling model to help tackle the issue of plastic waste and create employment in Uganda
Waste Management
The community bring their plastic waste to one of our 20+ Recycling Centre based around Uganda
...such as the 'Brixs' in our name
Creating Community Income Opportunities
We weigh the plastic by the kilogram...
...and then pay the collector according to the weight, helping them to earn an income
Recycling
We recycle the plastic waste into a variety of new items which people can use...
We then sell the new items as our 'Eco-Products', so we can continue to fund the community's plastic collection.
Sustainability
Our Story
From one back garden to making a massive environmental and economical impact...
With no formal waste management system in Uganda, plastic can be seen everywhere. Discarded on roadsides, littered throughout markets and burning on rubbish heaps, plastic waste is creating a devastating impact on both Uganda’s environment and the human population. It was seeing this detrimental impact of plastic waste that led us to find a solution to Uganda’s plastic problem.
Eco Brixs started out in 2017. Frustrated with the lack of waste management systems in Masaka, we started collecting plastic in our back garden, and after collecting 2 tonnes alone, decided to start a simple plastic collection facility called ‘Masaka Recycling Initiative’.
It soon became clear that the size and scale of the problem was far greater than what anyone had envisaged - 90% of plastic in Uganda goes to landfill or is illegally burnt, and whatever small percentage of plastic waste is recycled is typically shipped abroad rather than used in a way to support the local economy.
With more plastic than we could manage, we began to look into more effective ways to recycle plastic which would help support the local communities and economy. After 6 months of research and knocking on countless doors, we developed an innovative plastic-sand composite paver which has been proven to be stronger, lighter and more durable than concrete. This, combined with the concept of creating employment opportunities amongst the community through our collection network, has allowed us to create a closed-loop system that provides a sustainable answer to the problem of plastic waste in Uganda.
Now, three years on, Eco Brixs has grown to become one of the largest recycling facilities outside the capital city of Kampala - recycling over 300 tonnes of plastic waste and creating 3000 income opportunities amongst local people. Using this plastic, we’ve developed a wide range of Eco-Products that have been utilised by both the construction and healthcare sectors.
We’ve built local partnerships with Masaka Diocese and the Buganda Kingdom, as well as international ones with charities such as Tearfund and the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, and technology developers TMC. Our programmes have expanded too - we specialise in disability employment and providing youth education initiatives.
As we enter the next chapter of our development, we can’t wait to see what the future holds, as we use our model to help the environment and people of Uganda!
Our Team
Eco Brixs is led by a skilled management team with extensive networks at corporate and government levels in Uganda. They are overseen by a UK and Ugandan board of trustees.
Andy Bownds
Founder and CEO
Andy is based in Uganda and oversees our Operations in Masaka
Gee Elliott
Founder
Gee is based in London in the UK and oversees our marketing and partnerships
Fr. James
Uganda NGO Board Member
Our number 1 supporter - he has been with us since the beginning of our journey!
Regina
Finance Officer
She's the 'Mother of Recycling' at our HQ, looking after the team and daily transactions
Tony Elliott
Chair of the UK Board
Tony discovered Eco Brixs was participating in the Uganda Marathon in 2019!
Paul
Vice-Chair of the Ugandan Board
Paul is a life-long resident of Masaka and has a background in engineering
Martin Worster
Vice-Chair of the UK Board
Martin has taught in many schools all over the world and now works in the charity sector
Emma
Operations Officer
Emma is key to keeping things moving at Eco Brixs HQ in Masaka
Lizzie Wright
Secretary of the Ugandan Board
Lizzie is an entrepreneur who has lived in Uganda for a decade
Explore our Impact...
See how our business model is benefitting communities - both environmentally and economically.