Meet 8 Young Founders Turning Trash Into Cash | World Wide Waste | Insider Business

This paragraph highlights innovative solutions to the global plastic waste problem. In Kenya, bricks made from recycled plastic are being used to pave roads, addressing the issue of plastic pollution beyond Nairobi and on a worldwide scale. In Sierra Leone, a sustainable cooking fuel made from coconut shells is developed as an alternative to wood, aiming to reduce deforestation. Meanwhile, in the United States, a woman has recycled 4 million beer bottles' worth of glass back into sand. These initiatives are driven by entrepreneurs who grew up in the era of climate change and are now inventing new ways to profit from waste while helping the planet. Despite concerns about microplastics from roads made with plastic, these innovations offer cheaper and more sustainable alternatives to traditional materials.

The paragraph discusses the efforts of two companies in Nairobi and India that are repurposing waste. In Nairobi, a factory has recycled 50 metric tons of waste, employing young individuals and making an impact on the local environment. The founder aims to expand internationally, recognizing that waste management is a worldwide issue. In India, a company named Daily is producing sneakers from 100% recycled materials, with each pair containing the equivalent of 10 plastic bags and 12 bottles. The founder, Ashay Bhave, faced initial challenges in sourcing materials but partnered with a waste removal company to provide a steady supply. The process of creating the sneakers involves cleaning, heating, pressing, and cutting the recycled plastic bags into sheets, which are then used to construct the shoes.

This section covers the story of two sisters in South Africa who are turning PVC into high-end home goods. Despite PVC being recyclable, it often ends up in landfills due to contamination risks. The sisters source their raw materials from discarded PVC pipes, which are cut, heated, and reshaped into baskets and other items. The process is labor-intensive and requires careful selection of pipe thickness. The company, Moe's Crib, also faces challenges with unusable pipes but has partnered with a manufacturer to recycle a wider range of PVC materials. Additionally, the segment discusses the use of crushed glass for coastal restoration efforts in Louisiana, highlighting the importance of sustainable sand sources as global sand supplies dwindle.

The paragraph tells the story of young entrepreneurs making a difference in environmental conservation. One such entrepreneur is a young man in Sierra Leone who developed a cooking fuel made from coconut shells to prevent deforestation. His region has lost 70% of its forest cover, and his briquettes provide a sustainable alternative to wood-based charcoal. In Calgary, two brothers have turned their passion for skateboarding into a business that upcycles broken skateboards into unique products like bowls and coffee tables. They deconstruct the skateboards, which are made of durable maple wood, and use the layers to create their items. The segment also mentions the efforts of a mayor in Freetown committed to planting one million trees by the end of 2022.

This part of the script focuses on the skateboard culture and how it has evolved into a platform for environmental awareness. Skateboarders, once stereotyped as slackers, have gained respect and even Olympic recognition. The Pool Brothers, a company that recycles old skateboards, are inspiring skaters to consider the environmental impact of their sport. They transform broken skateboards into earrings, tables, and bowls, among other items. The process involves removing the grip tape, stripping the boards to bare wood, and then carefully assembling them into new products. The unique nature of each skateboard means that each product they create is one-of-a-kind. Their work is part of a broader movement that includes other entrepreneurs like Ryan Flynn, who is also repurposing old skateboards into functional items.