Plastic Fantastic
It is a chilly morning in Ngong’ town and I shuffle in the cold wind as I wait for Naomi Wanjiru to turn up. Wanjiru is one of the founders of Plastic Fantastic Kenya, a business she runs with her partner, Jessah Segal.
When she finally arrives, I am immediately whisked away on a tour of the area. We walk to a hill under a tree and from there I get to see the place from which she draws her inspiration. No it is not the sight of beautiful rolling hills, but a dumpsite that harbours all of Ngong’ and its environs’ waste.
“This place has changed a lot and now there is plastic everywhere,” sighs Wanjiru. “All the litter in this dumpsite has polluted our environment and the air we breathe is no longer fresh.’
Founded in January 2013, the idea of Plastic Fantastic Kenya was to create environmental consciousness through upcycling. Wanjiru and Segal collaborate together and work using plastic to make beautiful ornaments that are then sold to generate revenue. When asked why she began with ornaments, Wanjiru responds, ‘’I lived amongst the Maasai for a long time and their culture has inspired me a lot. They use a lot of beads in creating jewellery and I love beads. I also did a lot of handwork while growing up and I used to crochet and weave. I used to collect my mom’s milk bags, cut them up and weave up as I entertain myself with some music or beer.’’ Once she realised this was something she could actually do for a living, Wanjiru furthered her skills by taking entrepreneurship classes at the Amani Institute of Social Innovation.
The name ‘Plastic Fantastic’ was an idea given to Wanjiru by a friend she met at a party. They market their products through word-of-mouth and are also scaling up their project by using the Indiegogo, a global fundraising site where people discover projects that others are passionate about and take action by contributing money.
Plastic Fantastic has had to overcome a number of challenges in the few years it has existed. “I had to explain to my mom that I have a business initiative of collecting and recycling waste paper and she reacted by saying ‘Unataka kuanza kuokota makaratasi kwa pipa!’ meaning: you want to become a garbage collector?’’ Wanjiru recounts with an exasperated smile.
The ornaments they sell are undoubtedly high quality and are currently displayed at Galleria Mall at Motieno designs and the Nairobi Art Centre. They are also seeking to extend their displays in other parts of Nairobi. Their products range from 1000-2000 KES depending on the type,.
“I believe that people should look at their problems and address them instead of running away from them. That way, they will not feel overwhelmed,” concludes Wanjiru adding, “Hopefully in five years we will be out of business and there will be no more pollution in Kenya.” Well good luck with that, we hope so too!
