Plastic bottles are used as a material that makes fire-proof bricks

Bloemfontein-based sisters Kedibone and Keletso Tsiloane started Ramtshilo, a company that produces bricks that are made from recycled material.

The key ingredient used to make these strong and durable bricks is recycled plastic bottles which we often throw away after consuming milk or a cool drink. These recycled bottles are then mixed with cement and sand and it is said that is resistant to fires.

The Tsiloane sisters said the reason they started making these bricks was their love for the environment, they wanted to provide a sustainable solution to plastic waste pollution.

Plastic as a waste pollution crisis 

Plasticwaste pollution is a headache in the activism space where organisations like Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa have to come up with new ways of educating people why it is important they don’t just liter plastic materials anywhere- but rather find ways of discarding their trash.

The organisation has, in many ways than one, tried to make people aware of the dangers littering has on the ocean, the sea, and the rivers.

That is why the Tsiloane sisters started picking up these discarded bottles in different parts of Bloemfontein.

“Our mission is to do everything possible to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to the global plastic pollution pandemic,” said the sisters.

How the brick-making business started 

The sister explained to Saiye that the bricks are identical to the normal bricks and can be used to build just any structure.

“The bricks look and feel like conventional cement bricks and they can be cemented and plastered like any other brick,” said Kedibone.

Kedibone said they had only R5000 which was used to start the business as a prototype was required to show potential investors how this innovation would work and how beneficial it would be to the environment.

The impact of the business on the environment and communities

But the business has grown since it was established with a nationwide supply, creating several jobs for the youth of Bloemfontein.

“Our Plastic bricks have created direct and indirect employment for several young and old individuals in our operations, in the recycling industry, and the construction industry,” Keletso said.

There has been a partnership with a beer-making company, Corona, which is part of the South African Breweries.

The partnership was announced in March and according to the company, the partnership will strengthen the local plastic recycling chain and assure a Net Zero Plastic Footprint in South Africa.

“The partnership will see Corona collect and recycle hard-to-recycle plastics in Gauteng and the Free State,” said the company.

South African Corona marketing manager Thomas Lawrence said that “supporting a business in the recycling value chain is exactly how SAB and Corona are contributing to creating a circular economy and taking action to keep plastic out of our communities and environment”.

Editor’s note:

Plastic waste pollution leads to land pollution that makes our environment be polluted. It is a known fact that when the land is polluted, this leads to the loss of fertile land for agriculture. This company is trying to reduce land pollution by recycling plastic bottles that are used as part of the material used to make bricks.

Description:

The Tsiloane sisters are collecting discarded bottles and use them as material when they make bricks. These bricks are said to be strong and durable and also have properties that prevent fire.

Editor:

Thato Mahlangu

Project manager: Anirlé de Meyer