A Kenyan student hopes to transform gardening with his invention, which could provide seedlings with healthy, eco-friendly manure while also reducing plastic and food waste.
Maxwel Oyoo, a 23-year-old student at the University of Kabianga, created biodegradable seedling pots made out of discarded pineapple peels. As The Star reported, the development came as he looked for ways to reduce agricultural waste as part of a school project.
After collecting pineapple peels from local businesses and vendors, he dries and grinds them. That dust-like substance gets mixed with cornstarch, which acts as a glue, and then put into pots to be molded into the correct shape.
It dries in the sun, and the result is an all-natural pot that’s ready to help seedlings grow.
“The beauty of these pots is that they are completely biodegradable,” Oyoo told The Star. “When you transplant your seedlings, you plant them directly with the pot. After about 21 days, the pot decomposes and becomes organic manure, enriching the soil.”
Nourishing soil is just one way these pots benefit the environment. They also address two key planetary concerns: plastic waste and food waste.
Most seedling containers are made of plastic, the production of which creates heat-trapping pollution. Plastic containers are not biodegradable and leach toxins and microplastics into the earth.
The United Nations, meanwhile, estimates that one-fifth of human food — the equivalent of 1 billion meals every day — is lost or wasted.
Along with using pineapple peels that would have otherwise gone to waste, Oyoo also uses pineapples to make his own marmalades and jams, which are sold at his university’s innovation center.
Oyoo is still working on his pots before he starts selling them, but he plans on pricing small ones at 50 shillings ($0.39) and large ones at 100 shillings ($0.77).
Eventually, he hopes to mass-produce the pots and create a brand around similar products.
“This is just the beginning,” Oyoo said. “In the future, I want to establish a company that processes fruit waste into eco-friendly products. Nothing from the pineapple should ever go to waste.”
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