Heat and mass transfer, a unit in the mechanical engineering course that Beathe Siborurema studied, inspired the idea to do something in the male-dominated field she was a part of. 

"In 2019, during the course, I thought a lot about its purpose and if there was something I could do to make a difference in society,” she says. 

An idea then came to her, she thought about using plastic waste to make tiles, then shared the idea with a few lecturers who found it interesting. 

Getting started

2020 started with a pandemic that led to closed businesses and lockdowns, but this didn’t deter Siborurema’s determination to instigate her project. 

Using the little savings she had with the school bursar at Integrated Polytechnic Regional College (IPRC) Kigali, Siborurema started her work, hoping to curb unemployment and protect the country’s environment. 

Workers sort plastic bottles at a dumping site. Photo/File

She started collecting used plastic bottles around the neighbourhood, cleaned and separated them accordingly, depending on the colour of the tiles she wanted to make.

The next process was to heat, melt the wastes and after, press the tiles out of that, with no added chemicals. She did this with an oven she borrowed, and started her small-scale business at home.

After realising the tiles came out well, Siborurema thought of ways to expand the business, as people around the neighbourhood had sampled and appreciated the quality of the tiles.  

In September, 2020, she expanded the business that officially became Sibo Engineering CO Ltd, located in Ndera, Gasabo District. 

The company so far employs eight workers, women and men, two being casual labourers who go around the city collecting plastic wastes. And the company is able to manufacture 520 tiles per month, with at least three permanent customers giving them a command of 20 tiles per day.

Beathe Siborurema at work. Photos/Courtesy

Sibo Engineering CO Ltd tiles cost Rfw2, 500 per small one, Rfw5, 000 per medium piece and Rfw15, 000 for extra-large. The tiles are used for construction mostly, but also making tables and bathroom materials, such as sinks.  

Challenges

As many young women are empowered and encouraged to provide employment opportunities to others, especially fellow women, Siborurema continues to find ways to upgrade her business and bring more people on board.   

She is still confronted with unreliable investments in the business, and has to purchase bigger machines that can manufacture as many tiles as possible in a shorter period of time. 

Siborurema hopes that the accomplishment of her business will help the county reduce redundancy. "I encourage young people not to drop out of school. They should be self-employed and have the courage to do what they learnt,” she says.