Botswana youth turns newspapers into pencils

Across the globe, cities are synonymous with pollution and other urban activities that are major emitters of greenhouse gases. Hence, they are considered major contributors to climate change.

For this reason, development stakeholders have since expressed the need for a city-wide smart, secure and resilient transformation that will leverage and integrate technologies to create real economic opportunities and save lives. When opportunity to make a significant contribution in the climate change fight in the cities presented itself to Wada Kealotswe in 2019, she quickly researched and pitched a newspaper recycling project to the World Bank for Smart and Resilient Cities. This idea, she said, led her to participate in the 2019 Youth Conference in Washington DC.

“Well, though the project made the semi-finals, it didn’t make it to the finals, but I was inspired to continue with it, and so I founded a brand called Eco Zera Pencils, which I self-funded,” Kealotswe told Xinhua.

Since her manufacturing business started just two years ago, Eco Zera Pencils has managed to utilise approximately 8,000 newspapers.

“We collect our newspapers from offices and individuals. We have offices that call us on a monthly basis for collection, and even individuals who see our work offer their newspapers,” she said.

Newspapers, however, are not the only materials needed in the pencil manufacturing process. Therefore, Kealotswe sources graphite and other raw materials from China. Using machinery also shipped from China, Kealotswe and her team first cut newspapers to the size of the graphite, then use paper glue to secure the graphite to the slice of newspaper cutting. Thereafter, they use a machine to roll the rest of the paper to make pencil rods secured by resin glue.

“We dry the rods in the sun for about 4 hours before using an electric oven which hardens the pencil rod to resemble wood. The rod is then cut at the two ends, giving it shape before being filed for a smooth feel. We then dress it with an eraser, sharpen and package it in a branded box of 12,” Kealotswe shared of the process.

She said bout 80% of the manufacturing process done by hand, while the remaining 20% requires the use of machines. Since they started selling, they have manufactured about 40,000 pencils and sold about 39,000 to date. Her dream is to see her business grow to the point of export, not only in Africa but across the globe as she says the demand for pencils is still high locally and around the world.

“Children learn to write using pencils, and it is an instrument that has been used by many professions,” she expressed.

By using recycled papers to make pencils, Kealotswe says they are trying to raise consumer awareness on planet friendly products.

“We will reach a point where many trees are not cut to make pencils. Cutting down trees disrupts the ecosystem, and by supporting green products, individuals can help,” said Kealotswe, who urged everyone to take care of the planet, bearing in mind that every little activity undertaken will one day make a difference in lowering rising temperatures. 

Kealotswe’s efforts to recycle newspapers in the capital city Gaborone, consequently saving thousands of trees from being chopped down, are commendable. Eco Zera has since won the SEED (Awards for Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development) Climate Adaption 2021 Award for managing waste.

If you would like make an enquiry, you can email – ecozera20@gmail.com

Source: Xinhua