What is the name of your solution?
Brickify Ltd
Provide a one-line summary of your solution.
Brickify recycles plastic waste into water, fire and heat resistant lumber and bricks used to construct tables and chairs and also low cost houses.
What specific problem are you solving?
We are solving two problems: plastic waste and homelessness. Plastic waste is a global menace and one that wrecks huge havoc in underdeveloped and developing countries. In Nigeria, thousands of tonnes of plastic waste is generated on a daily basis which ends up polluting not only water bodies but also the environment, streets thereby leading to pollution and endangering the public health.
Also, homelessness is both a cause and consequence of poverty. In Nigeria, there are at least 24 million people who are homeless. This number doesn't capture the need for schools, toilets, hostels, etc
Hence, we are using one problem to solve another by recycling plastic waste into bricks used to tackle homelessness and to make our society greener and more sustainable.
What is your solution?
We recycle plastic waste into water, fire and heat resistant lumber and bricks used to construct tables, chairs and low cost houses. The bricks work like lego i.e. they interlock and do no need additional materials added to them when being used for construction. The bricks are 30 - 50% cheaper than conventional bricks and they help to reduce construction time by 50% because of the way they are molded.
Using SMS based system, we collect plastic waste from partnering households, communities, waste pickers as well as partnering organizations and we use same plastic waste to make bricks and lumber which are then sold to the members of the public. We also build houses on behalf of our client.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution helps to serve 11 Sustainable Development Goals 1, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 (No poverty, Quality Education, Decent work and economic growth, Industry innovation and infrastructure, Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable cities and communities, Responsible production and consumption, Life below water, life on land and Partnership for Goals)
Our solution is targeted at low income earners as well as those who are internally displaced or living in poverty. In developing countries, there are millions of people who are homeless and who cannot afford a roof over their heads. These are the people we want to serve although our solution is intended to shore up public infrastructure like schools, toilets, kiosks, shops etc
Our solution has a direct impact on their lives by providing affordable and social housing as well as an indirect impact by removing dangerous plastic wastes from communities which would have otherwise destroyed their lives and livelihood.
How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
I started this project because of my horrible experience with homelessness. I know the pains and understand the thought processes of a homeless person. Additionally, I understand what poverty does to people and how people are glad to get goods in return for personally generated waste materials.
Our team is made up of seasoned engineers and entrepreneurs. Members of our team have worked with both local and international non profit organizations, have initiated and implemented SDG related projects which has gone on to impact hundreds of thousands of people across Africa.
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
Enable mass production of inexpensive and low-carbon housing, including changes to design, materials, and construction methods.
Where our solution team is headquartered or located:
Ikorodu, NigeriaOur solution's stage of development:
PilotHow many people does your solution currently serve?
100
Why are you applying to Solve?
I have studied the goals and objectives of the Solce platform and they align perfectly with my learning, networking and fundraising objectives. I want to use the platform to promote my project, acquire new skills and become a part of a mutually beneficial network.
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
Financial (e.g. improving accounting practices, pitching to investors)
Who is the Team Lead for your solution?
Oluwamayowa Salu
What makes your solution innovative?
Conventional building systems are based on cement, timber, clay, iron as their main source of produce and they are often scarce, and expensive or out of the reach of ordinary folks. Our bricks are made in form of lego i.e. they interlock and so do not need extra building skills when been used for construction. This is also the reason why our bricks are cheaper.
Also unlike other products, our bricks are made up primarily of plastic waste yet they are stronger and are a low cost alternative to fighting poverty caused by homelessness.
What are your impact goals for the next year and the next five years, and how will you achieve them?
In the next 5 years, our plan is to have working experience in 3 African countries, and to have impacted 50,000 houses by building schools, low cost houses and hotels and also to have recycled at least 2 million tonnes of plastic waste which we would have turned into bricks and lumber for public consumption.
How are you measuring your progress toward your impact goals?
We measure our progress by evaluating the number of households, partners, organizations and waste pickers we onboard, the number of houses we have built, the number of chairs and tables made, the volume of plastics we have recycled, the number of lives impacted over time.
What is your theory of change?
Our project is already consuming large volumes of plastic waste and progressively, we expect to change attitudes of the larger population whereby people can see the direct benefit of submitting their waste. Our hope also is that no one in our immediate vicinity or locality is homeless or lacks a roof over their heads. We foresee a future where our solution is adopted by the relevant government agencies as a low cost housing solution to address the housing challenges in all of the developing world.
Describe the core technology that powers your solution.
We use a plastic extrusion technology that has been patented. We equally leverage on the SMS platform to connect with out partners particularly our waste pickers and household subscribers.
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new technology
How do you know that this technology works?
We have onboarded the majority of our partners and clients using this technology and we also use the second technology to produce our bricks.
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
In which countries do you currently operate?
In which countries will you be operating within the next year?
What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
How many people work on your solution team?
9
How long have you been working on your solution?
2018
What is your approach to incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity into your work?
We embrace everyone with any type of inclination, be it religious, race, gender, and background. Our team is made up of more female engineers than male engineers and we intend to keep it so because females bring compassion to our work. Our plan is not to discriminate nor isolate
What is your business model?
We sell the tables and chairs and we also build houses on behalf our clients. Corporate organizations adopt our solution as a CSR objective while we also supply lumber to schools on behalf of private entities and government agencies. We equally collect plastic waste from our partners at a low fee and then process same which are sold as lumber and bricks.
Do you primarily provide products or services directly to individuals, to other organizations, or to the government?
Organizations (B2B)What is your plan for becoming financially sustainable?
Our plan is to scale our product, sell more tables and chairs and build more houses even while controlling the cost of primary resource which is plastic waste.
Solution Team
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OS
Oluwamayowa Salu CEO, Brickify Ltd
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Our Organization
Brickify Ltd