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As vehicles honk endlessly, calling for customers in the bustling town of Mlolongo, Machakos County, John Mwangi taps a switch in his workshop’s hall, and a glass-cutting machine with a rotating blade roars to life.
As the blade begins spinning, he opens a valve on a thin pipe hovering above the cutting machine, releasing a jet of water just above the spinning blade.
Mwangi then picks up an empty whisky bottle and methodically rolls it over the rotating blade, allowing it to slice through the glass with careful precision.
Wearing a mask and thick earmuffs to shield himself from the deafening noise of the roaring machine, he maintains steady control over the process. In under a minute, the glass bottle is split into two, with the lower half forming the perfect shape of a whisky or water glass. But the process is not yet complete.
Holding the glass-like product in his hand, the skilled artisan moves to another machine, which features a smoothening blade with water flowing over it. He carefully places the cut glass’s opening against the blade, allowing it to refine the edges.
“This is for smoothening the rough and jagged edges. It gives the glass a polished finish and enhances its aesthetic appeal,” Mwangi explains, adding that this stage also removes unwanted parts, making the product safe to handle. He further elaborates that the friction between the rotating blades and the glass generates heat, necessitating the use of water to cool the material and maintain a stable temperature throughout the cutting and smoothening process.
“Water cools the blade and prevents the glass from overheating, which could cause cracking. It also acts as a lubricant, reducing friction between the blade and the glass,” he explains.
For over a year, Mwangi has been transforming and repurposing glass waste into reusable household items at his workshop under the keen supervision of Herman Muli Bigham, an African-American entrepreneur who spearheaded the ‘Glass Waste Wealth’ initiative. The project aims to reduce glass waste pollution while creating jobs for locals.
Having relocated to Kenya in 2018 after three decades of working as an electrician in the United States, Bigham saw the growing problem of glass waste in the country and decided to provide a solution.
“After extensive research, I realised we could repurpose glass waste into reusable household items. Reusing glass waste not only reduces pollution but also helps conserve the environment by cutting down waste in the ecosystem,” he explains.
Under his social enterprise, Tosheka Products, Bigham and his five-member team, including Mwangi, use discarded glass to create visually appealing household items such as flower vases, water and wine glasses, candle holders, bulb holders, decorative wall light covers, food containers, and ashtrays. This initiative is geared towards both environmental protection and job creation.
The innovator highlights that these products are ideal for homes, hotels, restaurants, and institutions. To enhance their appeal, some finished products are decorated with special fabrics.“Fabrics add a decorative touch, particularly on bulb holders used for walls and desks. It makes homes more visually appealing,” he notes. Bigham has also partnered with individuals who collect discarded glass from landfills for reuse and repurposing.
“We took on the challenge of glass waste by collecting, designing, and producing a variety of useful products,” he says.
Glass is one of the most widely used materials in the world, and in Kenya, yet its waste can persist in the environment for thousands of years without decomposing.
According to a National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) report on solid waste management strategy, the growing consumption of bottled products—such as soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and water—has led to a significant increase in glass waste.
Data from NEMA indicates that glass waste accounts for two per cent of Kenya’s total waste, with Nairobi alone generating around 2,400 tonnes of waste daily. This means that 48 tonnes of waste in the capital is glass, much of which ends up in landfills or is improperly disposed of, placing a heavy burden on the environment. Bigham emphasises that repurposing glass waste reduces the amount that ends up in landfills and the environment.
“To tackle glass waste, we need to be innovative and establish creative industries that generate employment while addressing environmental pollution,” he says.
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