Recycled with a Story

At Twende Green Ecocycle, we believe that every piece of recycled ocean-bound plastic has a story worth telling. From discarded bottles littering the beaches of Mombasa to durable school desks used by eager students, our mission is not just about waste management—it’s about creating value, fostering community, and building a sustainable future.

In this blog post, we take you on a journey of transformation: how the plastic waste polluting our coastlines is turned into something meaningful, providing both environmental and social impact.

The Plastic Problem on Mombasa’s Shores

Mombasa’s stunning beaches are a source of pride and beauty. Unfortunately, they’ve also become home to an overwhelming amount of plastic waste. Each day, thousands of plastic items—bottles, straws, flip-flops, and fishing gear—wash ashore, endangering marine life and damaging our local ecosystems.

For communities living near these coastal areas, particularly those in informal settlements, plastic waste is a daily struggle. Without proper waste management systems, plastic litters the environment, clogging waterways and increasing the risk of pollution-related health issues.

This crisis can seem insurmountable, but at Twende Green Ecocycle, we see it as an opportunity for change. Through our recycling efforts, we turn what many consider “trash” into something invaluable for local communities—eco-friendly school furniture.

The Beginning of the Story

Our story starts on a Saturday morning, with volunteers gathering at Nyali Beach for one of our regular beach cleanups. Local residents, organizations, and students come together, determined to make a difference. The cleanup is more than just a one-time effort—it’s a collective movement, an act of stewardship for our environment.

On this particular day, the volunteers collect hundreds of kilograms of plastic waste, picking up everything from single-use bottles to discarded fishing nets. But the journey doesn’t end there. Unlike many cleanups where the waste is simply disposed of, we take it further by giving the collected plastic a new life.

From Plastic Waste to School Desks

Once collected, the plastic waste is sorted and cleaned before being sent to our recycling facility. There, the transformation truly begins. The plastic is shredded into small pieces and processed into raw materials, ready to be repurposed into something useful.

At Twende Green Ecocycle, we focus on manufacturing eco-friendly school desks and chairs from recycled plastic. These pieces of furniture are not only durable and affordable but also tell the story of how discarded waste can be reborn as something valuable and essential for education.

Each desk we produce helps reduce plastic pollution and provides much-needed furniture for schools across Mombasa. Our mission is simple: support education while addressing the growing plastic crisis.

But how do we empower the Local Communities

This process goes beyond just recycling plastic—it’s about empowering the people who make it possible. By partnering with local waste collectors, youth groups, and women’s cooperatives, we create job opportunities in the community. The waste pickers who collect plastic from informal settlements and coastal areas are essential partners in our mission, ensuring that they benefit financially from the process.

Our work also inspires a new generation of environmentally conscious citizens. For the students who sit at these desks, the story of how their furniture was made from recycled waste sparks curiosity and conversation. It shows them that plastic doesn’t have to be a permanent pollutant—it can be transformed into something that serves a greater purpose.

Why This Matters

The impact of Twende Green Ecocycle is multi-faceted. Every desk we produce represents:

• Environmental impact – Removing harmful plastic waste from our beaches and oceans.
• Educational support – Providing affordable, durable furniture for schools that might otherwise lack these basic resources.
• Economic empowerment – Creating job opportunities and financial benefits for the communities involved in collecting and recycling plastic.

By choosing recycled plastic furniture, schools, and institutions not only support sustainability but also contribute to a local circular economy that reduces plastic waste and improves lives.

Writing the Future: A Sustainable Vision

As Twende Green Ecocycle continues to grow, so does our vision. We aim to scale up our efforts, with the goal of providing thousands of school desks across Kenya while removing tons of plastic from the environment.

We believe in the power of transformation—whether it’s a plastic bottle on the beach, a community taking ownership of its environmental footprint, or a student using one of our desks to write their future. Each part of the story is interconnected, driving us toward a more sustainable world.

Recycling is not just a process—it’s a story. And at Twende Green Ecocycle, we’re proud to be writing the next chapter, one desk at a time.

Stay tuned for more stories of transformation in our Recycled with a Story series, and join us on our journey to make the world a greener place.