Plastic waste collected in Rwanda has been turned into experimental construction tiles that combine recycled thermoplastics with locally sourced sisal fibres. In a study published in Frontiers in Sustainability titled Manufacturing of plastic tiles based on reinforced sisal and recycled plastic wastes: a case of Rwanda , researchers at Rwanda Polytechnic-Ngoma College tested tiles made from recycled high-density polyethene, polyethene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride and polystyrene, combined with sand, marble chips, cement and sisal. The strongest formulation, containing 5% sisal by volume, reached a mean compressive strength of 41.66 megapascals (MPa), while three tested tile samples recorded an average water absorption of just 0.225% after 24 hours of immersion. This innovative research demonstrates how combining local resources with recycled materials can create genuinely viable alternatives to conventional building materials, addressing both waste management and construction challenges simultaneously.
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