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, seven years on, Eco Brixs has grown to become one of the largest recycling facilities outside the capital city of Kampala - recycling over 2000 tonnes of plastic waste and creating 4600 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, and internationally with charities such as Tearfund and the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, as well as 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!