What is a Plastic Brick and how does it promote a green economy in South Africa?
When you pair your passion with innovation...
We love honing in on stories that include a great moment for South Africa, women, and also the environment. It not only teaches us something about ourselves, but also inspires us to keep pushing forward when it comes to achieving all that we want.
Sometimes your purpose is closer to home than you realise. For these sisters, it definitely was a holistic accompaniment of things that were important to them, coupled with their backgrounds in the construction industry.
And, as usual, when you couple your passion with your purpose - or at least parts of it, then what comes next is success...
Kekeletso Tsiloane has always been “very OCD” about litter. “I’m one of those people where, if I see somebody litter in front of me, I’ll pick it up and give it back to them to dispose of properly,” the 28-year-old told Mail and Guardian.
It was this mindset that motivated her and her sister, Kedibone, to start producing eco-bricks that are made with 30% plastic and can be used for construction. Both innovative and helpful to the global plastic pollution problem.
Their plastic eco-bricks are said to be strong, durable, and fire-retardant, not to mention the technology they use makes use of non-recyclable plastic which helps with those bottles and wrappings that end up floating in rivers and end up in the ocean.
"Together, the sisters founded Ramtsilo Manufacturing and Construction, a 100% black, female-owned company and their ecobricks are being used in residential, industrial and commercial projects. Their plastic bricks are being sold at the Builders Warehouse stores in Johannesburg’s Rivonia and Fourways suburbs — with more offerings on the way as the company, based in Free State and on Gauteng’s East Rand, grows." (Mail and Guardian)
We would always go on site with him. I would gravitate towards the construction side while my sister would always be on the administrative and business side of things. We didn’t understand at the time what was being cultivated. It was only in 2013, when our father registered a construction business for us, that we started being a bit more active in the business.
In 2017, they made a breakthrough with their prototypes and found that their plastic brick had great integrity. The ladies aren't just adding to the green economy though, they are also creating employment for the waste pickers who they work quite closely with.
Waste pickers are playing a huge part in plastic recycling but it’s often looked down upon. This is because people don’t really understand the value in what they’re doing — how much money they’re saving for municipalities through their collections — and how they’re kickstarting the circular economy through what they’re doing.
Check out the video below of a typical day in their lives (courtesy of Instagram):
Image Courtesy of Instagram