This Kenyan man was tired of seeing trash continuously piling up on the beaches of his city – so he came up with an ingenious way to recycle plastic waste and save trees at the same time.

Aghan Oscar is the founder of Continental Renewable Energy (COREC), a small recycling company based in Nairobi that collects garbage and turns it into road signage and poles.

Timber used for fences and signage is often vandalized in the lower-income neighborhoods and used for firewood. It also deteriorates faster and contributes to receding forest land. Aghan’s recipe for polythene products, made out of of post-consumer materials and sand, are not only far more durable – they’re much cheaper.

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The Kenya National Highways Authority has reportedly bought over 28,000 poles from Aghan’s company, saving the government millions. Vandals are notorious for stealing metal structures and selling them to steel manufacturing companies, but COREC’s plastic products can’t effectively be resold.

As the company grows, so do their need for able-bodied hands. COREC currently employs over 250 local Kenyan youth to gather plastic waste and work the assembly line. Aghan is a firm believer that supporting recycling companies can provide more young people with jobs, as well as save the planet.

“One kilogram of plastic waste saves 2.5kg of carbon emissions, and for every 10 plastic posts produced, one tree is saved. Recycling is definitely the best bet in conserving the environment,” Aghan told the Christian Science Monitor.

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