From Trash to Treasure: The Young Cameroonian Engineer Turning Plastic Waste into Durable Bricks

By Ngunyi Sonita Nwohtazie

In the streets of Tiko and Mutengene in Cameroon's Southwest Region, plastic waste is ubiquitous. Gutters overflow with bottles, roadside piles of discarded wrappers clog drains, and the air of neglect hangs heavy over neighbourhoods. To most, this waste is an eyesore, something to be avoided. But to 21-year-old Ebot Simon, it is an opportunity, a raw material, and perhaps the keystone of a brighter future.

Armed with nothing but determination and a dream, the young engineer has taken it upon himself to turn this plastic problem into a solution. With bare hands and limited resources, he melts discarded plastics, mixes them with sand, and produces durable, weather-resistant bricks. These are not just blocks for construction; they are symbols of resilience, proof that innovation can flourish even in the most challenging circumstances.

Like many graduates in Cameroon, Ebot faced a painful reality after school: the jobs he hoped for simply did not exist. “With my passion for the environment and no job available, I had to fend for myself rather than depend on the government,” he recalled. “The way waste is managed in my community only pushed me further to think of survival.”

Instead of despairing, he turned inward, drawing on his love for problem-solving. Each piece of plastic that littered the streets became a puzzle, a challenge waiting to be solved. Slowly, the idea took shape: if plastic was so durable that it choked the environment for centuries, why not harness that durability to build something useful?

The Making of a Plastic Brick

His process is painstaking. Each day, he walks long distances, gathering plastics from gutters, trash cans, and the edges of people's homes. The collection itself is gruelling, especially under the hot sun or during the heavy rains when the waste is washed far afield. Once gathered, the plastics are carefully separated into bottles in one pile, bags in another.

From there, he begins production. “All the plastic bottles are melted over fire until they are liquid,” he explained. “I add a portion of white sand to give the bricks weight and strength. The result is a hard and durable block that can withstand all kinds of weather, just like traditional cement bricks.” After pouring the mixture into the moulds, he allows them to cool for a full day before they are ready.

Yet, behind every brick lies a struggle. The challenges are many, and at times, discouraging. “My biggest challenge is finance,” he admitted. “I do not have enough capital to buy the equipment I need to produce on a larger scale.” Beyond money, there is also the challenge of community buy-in. “Collaboration from NGOs, schools, and local authorities has been slow. Sometimes, it feels like I am working alone.”

During the rainy season, his difficulties multiply. Plastics are carried away by floodwaters, making collection nearly impossible. Still, he pushes on. His vision to reduce plastic waste while creating jobs is too important to abandon.

Ebot knows he cannot do it alone. To secure a steady supply of plastics, he organises community clean-up campaigns, calling on young people to join him. “I usually organise environmental campaigns where youths are encouraged to pick up plastics in the neighbourhood. It helps clean the community and ensures I have raw materials to work with,” he said.

He has also placed plastic collection bins in Tiko and Mutengene to make recycling easier for residents. Slowly, his message is spreading: waste is not useless. Waste can be wealth.

Training the Next Generation

What makes Ebot’s story even more inspiring is that he is not keeping his knowledge to himself. “I have trained more than 50 youths in Tiko and Mutengene,” he said proudly. “I want them to empower themselves and also contribute to keeping our environment clean.”

For him, this is not just about bricks; it is about building people. By sharing his skills, he is sowing seeds of sustainability and showing young people that they too can create opportunities, even where none seem to exist.

Though his business is still small, recognition has started to come. He has already received contracts, including one from the principal of his former secondary school, who ordered more than 200 bricks. To him, this is just the beginning.

“Since I started this innovation, I have had several contracts,” he said with a smile. “If I can get the finances and proper equipment, I am very sure I can create not only a job for myself but for many others.”

Cameroon produces more than 600,000 tons of plastic waste every year, much of which ends up polluting streets, rivers, and farmland. Ebot’s initiative is more than a personal business venture; it is a model of sustainability, a reminder that solutions to big problems can often start small.

In every block that hardens in Ebot’s moulds lies a story of persistence, innovation, and hope. He has taken what most people dismiss as worthless and turned it into something of value, not only for himself, but for his community. His journey is a reminder that the fight against unemployment and environmental degradation requires courage, creativity, and vision.