Episode 154: Building houses for the homeless from recycled plastic waste in Ghana

This week on ArchiTel, we bring you a video from a unique and laudable initiative in Ghana.

One of the biggest challenges that have engaged the attention of policymakers, politicians, governments, and stakeholders is plastic waste management. Each day, tons of waste are generated globally, with some ending up in the oceans, thereby affecting aquatic lives.

The challenge is more pronounced in developing countries. Although several initiatives have been rolled out by African governments to deal with the menace of plastic waste, the problem persists.

For instance, in Ghana, the government recently imposed a one percent sanitation levy in order to generate revenue to deal with sanitation in the capital city, Accra, and across the country. At the micro-level, several individuals have also taken initiatives to deal with the plastic waste menace by converting them into various products.

A Ghanaian entrepreneur is leading the way in the secondary usage of plastic waste. Unlike many who recycle plastic waste into bags or other handy products, Nelson Boateng, who is the founder of Nelplast Ghana Ltd, uses plastics as ‘concrete’ to build roads and houses.

In an interview with Ghanaian journalists Portia Gabor, Boateng revealed that he used some 13,400 kilos of plastic waste collected from gutters and beaches in the country to build a house. Indeed, it is regarded as the first house to be constructed using plastic waste in Ghana.

Text: Courtesy of https://face2faceafrica.com/article/nelson-boateng-the-entrepreneur-behind-ghanas-first-house-made-from-plastic-waste

Videos: Courtesy of DENTAA