PLASTIC PAVERS, BRICKS HIT MARKET

MBABANE – A new day has dawned in the country’s efforts to solve the problem of plastic waste, youth unemployment and environmental stewardship.
This follows the birth of a youth-centric company which uses technology to recycle waste into building material.

Championed by young people at Msunduza Township in Mbabane, Mdoda Environmental Concepts is using cutting-edge technology to manufacture durable ground pavers, roof tiles and pothole filling material using used plastics.

Registered in March 2019, through SEDCO, the company hopes to create an initial 60 employment opportunities for young people and elderly women in the bustling township. The directors said they hope to increase the number to 150 within 12 months of operation.

“The ideal is to stimulate economic growth, empower young people with skills and turn the tide in environmental degradation caused by indecent disposal of plastic waste material,” says Sibusiso Ndlangamandla, one of the directors of Mdoda Environmental Concepts.

The list of directors includes Mfundo Dzimba (29), an entrepreneur who obtained valuable skills while studying in Lybia and other young people from Mbabane.

Youth

“We have already held brief talks with our MP Harries ‘Madze’ Bulunga (Minister of Sports Culture and Youth Affairs) about our company and listed some of the things which we wish to be assisted with at constituency level for us to fulfil our vision to galvanise youth empowerment in Msunduza, create jobs and ensure proper waste management.

“Our MP has undertaken to engage the structures in Msunduza administration and guide us on the way forward,” says Bandzile Nhlengethwa (24), who has recently joined the company.
Added Dzimba: “The short-term plan is to secure a piece of land on which to build a workshop, storage facilities and also find help with protective clothing. The protective clothing includes gas masks, suede aprons, safety boots and industrial overalls,” he says.

When people passively lament the health hazards and eye sore that comes with carelessly discarded plastics, Mdoda Environmental Concepts sees a stepping stone to an industry that holds great potential in the recycling of waste plastics for the manufacturing of pavers.

Ndlangamandla, who works with young people, says in the long run, the company will not be confined to making pavers, but will diversify to other services, such as road maintenance and construction block manufacturing, all using waste plastic.

At foundation stage, Mdoda Environmental Concepts has invested in moulds; smelters and basic tools, making the company poised to manufacture 250 pavers per day that can effectively cover a 40 square metre yard.

Ndlangamandla, who is an experienced paver, having previously used traditional cement pavers, noted that the pavers made from plastic were much stronger and durable.

He performed a test for the Swazi News team, to demonstrate the difference in strength between a concrete paver and one made from plastic waste.
When both were elevated a metre above concrete ground and let go, the concrete paver broke in two but the other remained intact when they both hit the floor.

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