Problem
Plastic waste abound everywhere. According to the World watch Institute, an estimated 299 million tons of plastics were produce in 2013, representing a 4 percent increase over 2012, and confirming an upward trend over the past years. By 2050, we'll have produced 26 billion tons of plastic waste says a 2017 report on sciencemag.org
In Nigeria alone, 3000 tons of waste are generated daily. The lack of effective waste management systems makes this plastic waste problem result in very terrible consequences. It leads to destruction of the environment, blockage of drainage and water ways, harbouring of diseases and vectors that endangers public health. Consequently, there are 24.4 million homeless people in Nigeria with no where to lay their heads. This leads to crime and exposes families to dangers. Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world. Finally, humans source construction materials from anywhere they want thereby destroying the fauna and flora. Brickify ensures that plastic wastes are eliminated, repurposed and used to provide affordable housing to people who would otherwise sleep under bridges and wouldn't have access to liveable houses. Also, our roads in Africa are called death traps. Brickify uses the water, heat and fire resistant bricks to construct roads and help enhance mobility for everyone.
Product
Brickify recycles plastic waste into paving blocks/bricks that are used to construct road and to build low cost houses for the poor, internally displaced persons and those living in shanties/slums.These blocks contain recycled plastic and are thermoplastic polyolefins of high rigidity, crystallinity, high melting point and excellent chemical resistance. The blocks are lightweight, modular and can easily be coupled, also they do not require skilled labor. They work in a lego like manner i.e. they interlock.
This system seeks to offer an alternative future for the manufacture of structural and non-structural elements for the construction of architectural projects, by generating a construction system integrated with light elements, allowing quick installations, and is safe and inexpensive. The unique designs of the construction elements from recycled materials, allows anyone to build quickly, efficiently and economically. Our construction system is 30% cheaper than traditional systems in rural areas.
Value Proposition
Environmentally: We recover and give added value to waste materials, multi-layer waste plastics and rubber, diverting thousands of tons from landfills and incineration, converting them into an alternative housing solution.
Socially: From our alternative housing solution, we mitigate the quantitative housing deficit, improving the quality of life of vulnerable communities, creating community cohesion, fighting poverty and bringing stakeholders across board together e.g. involving local government agencies, community associations, foundations and socially responsible companies.
Economically: We play a very important part in the circular economy process, giving added value to residual materials, generating hundreds of indirect jobs and bringing this initiative to the reality in a sustainable, scalable and replicable way, ensuring its relevance and permanenceand providing sustainable income to families/individuals and also promoting and easing digital payments through our company’s digital features.
How wastes are collected
We collect our wastes by involving and subscribing communities/individuals to our point redemption platform using digital innovation. The first thing is to allow households and individuals know the worth of their plastic waste i.e. we help them convert this waste into points and bonuses. We use an integrated SMS notification system and mobile app to conduct this section of our innovation. The mobile app shows users how to separate their waste, informs them of the real time value of the waste and allow them to request and schedule a pick up. Points can be converted to cash, used to pay utilities such as school fees, government bills or hospital bills and even "store" their waste with us up to a level that it is enough to be used to build a two bedroom bungalow.
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