The Mombasa Plastics Prize aimed to encourage innovation and awareness among aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders in Mombasa County, by inspiring the development of solutions that tackle the problem of marine plastic waste mismanagement within informal settlements.
We called on young adults (ages 18-25) living in Mombasa County, with an interest in tackling this problem, to compete in the prize.
This prize built on the work of the Afri-Plastics Challenge, funded by Global Affairs Canada, which aims to reduce marine plastics in sub-Saharan African countries by developing and scaling innovative solutions to plastic mismanagement.
We found ambitious, dedicated and creative aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders (between the ages of 18 and 25), who want to help tackle the challenge of marine plastic waste mismanagement in Mombasa County’s informal settlements.
Following the assessment of entries, 60 finalists were selected and divided into 15 teams to develop their solutions.
At the end of the process, three winning teams were selected and awarded cash prizes worth 7m KES.
Twende Green Ecocycle aims to promote sustainable development by recycling marine plastic waste from informal settlements into school eco-desks. Our company uses advanced recycling technology to transform discarded plastic waste into durable, high-quality school lockable eco-desk that meets the needs of both students and teachers. We are committed to making a positive impact on the environment, while also supporting education development and creating employment opportunities for the local community.
Team Eco-Redemptors is on a mission to create sustainable products from plastic waste. We aim to collaborate with waste collectors to create a recycling facility in Mombasa that offers fair pricing for the plastic waste they collect.
Oceania Pacesetter is on a mission to tackle plastic pollution by creating simple devices that intercept plastic waste. With peddlers and an anchored net, they collect debris directly from the ocean. The collected plastics are then repurposed to create art installations, DIYs, and other creative projects.
