Invasive Water Hyacinth

Lake Victoria, Kenya

Type of waste: agricultural

Water Hyacinths are notoriously invasive. They arrived to africa in the 1800s and took over their bodies of water. Lake Victoria in particular.Spreading along the shorelines, the plant formed thick mats that covered an estimated 20,000 hectares (about 77 square miles) of the lake by 1998. Aggressive removal efforts, the release of the Neochitina weevil, which eats the plant, and environmental factors cut the plant back to manageable levels. But in December 2006, as the top satellite image reveals, the water hyacinth was back. It's fast growth prevents other species to grow in their natural environment, it prevents boats from using the lake and animals to fond food. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/7426/water-hyacinth-re-invades-lake-victoria

Biopactic Material

Chemolex is a Kenyan company dedicated to the production of sustainable plastics. Amongst their projects you can find the biopactic material. "A novel, sustainable and 100% biodegradable next generation material that directly replaces the use of plastic polymers ( polypropylene, polyethylene and polyester) in making superior food and product packaging, daipers/ sanitary wares and threads for clothing/ fashion industry."

Furthermore, the organization have also utilized the roots of the invasive water hyacinth that are regarded as wastes to produce Biogas energy that is currently supplied to 150 women along the Lake region for purposes of operating hotel businesses and frying fish before vending.