DiscoverItal

About Solution

Problem

On a weekly basis, Kenya produces 1.3 million kilograms of plastic waste. Only 10 percent of this waste is collected for re-use. On the other hand, remains a good number of unemployed youth. Another circumstance is whereby 3D printing technology is rapidly growing in Africa but our biggest problem is importing 3D printing filament at inflated prices. Why should this happened and yet the PET plastic waste is our main resource as a raw material for our end products? Yet most of it ends up in the landfills, drainageand later to the ocean. This affects our Eco-system by increasing the Carbon emissions to our environment.

Solution

DiscoverItal is a social enterprise that aims to reduce plastic waste by creating products such as 3D printing filament, 3D printed learning aids and structural forms made from WPC(Wood plastic Composite), hence promoting a plastics circular economy. A circular economy is a regenerative system in which resource input and waste, emission and energy leakage are minimized by slowing, closing and narrowing energy and material loops. It is a partnership between DiscoverBrands Systems Ltd and Ital 3D Solutions among other Implementing, partners such as PETCO Kenya, RETRAK and BESIC Kenya who are working together to come up with a streamlined PET waste take-back scheme. Other partners are administrative partners to help guide this project as it is a first time pilot project for Kenya under the name “New Plastics Economy Kenya” launched July last year. This was by creating a PPP (Public Private Partnership) to deal primarily with SDG No.12 (To ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) but also SDG’s: 1, 8,9,11. This partnership aims to curtail the country’s overall plastic waste by improving how much waste is collected, then transforming waste material into recycled products for commercial use.

https://p4gpartnerships.org/partnership/partnership-new-plastics-economy-kenya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=fBMk1vGg-qI

Impact

Social Impact – through Knowledge transfer on the plastic recycling industry and 3D printing technology. This will create employment of 20K plus people.

The Environment – clean and healthy environment and less pollution.

Reduced prices – since we are recycling PET and creating our own filament, this will mean cheaper 3D printing filament and services.

Manufacturing – through the spread of 3D printing Knowledge. More people will get into private manufacturing hence leading to growth of other forms of technology and creativity as 3D printing is the best medium for prototyping.

2

Comments

Contact Us

If you have any questions