A Kenyan company is taking on two major environmental crises in the waters of Lake Naivasha.

Naivasha

Lake Naivasha in Kenya has been struggling with the spread of water hyacinth, an invasive plant that blocks fishing boats, reduces fish populations, and damages local livelihoods. The plant, originally from South America, has become a global problem, clogging waterways in over 50 countries and trapping plastic waste.

Kenyan entrepreneur Joseph Nkuthiru has developed a patented process to convert water hyacinth into biodegradable bioplastic, providing an alternative to conventional plastics. His company, Hyapak, employs local fishermen to harvest the plant, and has supplied thousands of biodegradable wrappers for Kenya's tree planting program. Nkuthiru is seeking further investment and partnerships to expand production, while environmental advocates stress the need for stronger regulations to reduce plastic waste.

Kenyan start up turns water hyacinth to bioplastic

pollution. Malcolm Webb reports. About 10,000 families depend on Kenya's Lake Naivasha for fish, which are getting harder to catch. Spreading water hyacinth blocks the fishing boats and starves the water of oxygen. Simon Macherea says it's been getting steadily worse for about 15 or 20 years, contributing to catches of ever fewer and smaller fish. It can block the engine which gets damaged from overheating and we lose nets when it drags them away. It blocks the breeding areas of the fish. It's native to South America. It was planted in ponds around the world and then spread to more than 50 countries where it's clogging waterways and harming ecosystems. It's difficult just to wade through it. It's no surprise the fishing boats sometimes get trapped and it also traps pieces of the world's ever-growing quantity of plastic waste. Here are two huge global problems for which one Kenyan entrepreneur says he has a solution. Joseph Nkuthiru has developed a process to turn the unwanted plants into a biodegradable alternative to plastic. He's supplied thousands of these wrappers to Kenya's government for its tree planting program. Regular plastics will not decompose but they will break down into microplastics and those are really harmful to the soil and to human body and there's evidence of that all over. But then ours are organic. Joseph's company Hyapak pays fishermen to harvest the plants, dry them and send them to its workshop. He's patented the process and he's discussing investment with some multinational companies. He says it's challenging for African startups to raise capital and he's up against a plastics industry that doesn't want to stop selling. Plastics activist James Wakibia says plastic use in Kenya and the piles of waste keep rising and that it will only stop if governments enforce the solutions. We need to embrace alternatives. If we do not have laws, we do not have an international legally binding plastics treaty, we are going to be wallowing in plastic and we are going to be poisoning our world. Joseph and his team are also producing biodegradable food packaging and they're developing shipping packets in partnership with an international courier. With enough investment and support, he says his products could replace vast quantities of single-use plastics and clear up dozens of choking rivers and lakes. Malcolm Webb, Al Jazeera, Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Well that's all from me, Tom McRae. There's much more information on our websites.

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Washington

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Beijing

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Caracas

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Jerusalem

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Paris

Ukraine Invasion

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

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Los Angeles

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Breakdown