Turning Trash to Treasure: The 19-Year-Old Sculpting Zimbabwe’s Green Future

Tendai Nyambara

At just 19 years old, Bhekumuzi Mathe of Pumula, Bulawayo, is helping reshape how his community understands and tackles waste. A waste expert and creative artist with Dynamic Waste Management, Mathe is using innovation and artistry to confront one of Zimbabwe’s fastest-growing environmental threats: plastic pollution. By transforming discarded plastics into striking sculptures and functional household items, he is demonstrating how climate challenges can be met with creativity, local solutions, and youth-driven action.

Zimbabwe, like many countries, faces mounting plastic waste due to rapid urbanization, limited recycling infrastructure, and inadequate waste management systems. According to Veritas, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) states that over 300,000 tonnes of plastic waste are generated annually in Zimbabwe, but less than 10 percent is recycled. Most of the waste ends up in open dumpsites, rivers, and burn pits—releasing greenhouse gases and toxic fumes that worsen climate change and threaten public health.

Mathe’s work is a direct response to this escalating crisis. “I was inspired by the growing plastic pollution in my community and the lack of awareness,” he explains. “I wanted to be part of the solution, not just the complaint.”

Dynamic Waste Management operates on a simple but effective recycling model rooted in community participation. The process begins with collecting different types of plastic from dumpsites, local homes, and community clean-ups. “We start by collecting different types of plastic waste, then we sort, wash, and crush them into smaller pieces using our crusher machine,” Mathe says.

The crushed materials are carefully selected based on their properties—such as the flexibility of Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLD) or the bright colours of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polypropylene (PP). These pieces are then melted and moulded into new forms. The resulting catalogue ranges from practical home products like interlocking bricks and pavers to elaborate, decorative sculptures.

Mathe’s artistic process is intentionally rooted in his environmental mission. His colour choices—greens, blues, and earthy tones—are intentionally drawn from nature, reflecting ” the beauty of environment that plastic pollution destroys.” The result is artwork that highlights both the fragility and resilience of the natural world serving as a powerful visual call for environmental action.

The journey is not without hurdles. Mathe notes that sorting and cleaning contaminated plastics is labour-intensive, and access to advanced machinery remains limited. Yet these constraints have not derailed the project. “I overcome these challenges through teamwork, community involvement, and creativity,” Mathe says. This approach turns limitations into opportunities for innovative design, ensuring the operation continues to scale.

By actively engaging community members, Dynamic Waste Management has turned waste collection into a shared responsibility. This collaboration has the double benefit of reducing pollution and building environmental awareness at household level.

Mathe believes art is not just decorative—it is a critical catalyst for sustainability awareness. “Art has the power to reach hearts. It’s a universal language that can influence behaviour and inspire action,” he says. The impact is visible. According to Mathe, community members who once dumped or burned plastic now bring it directly to the recycling centre. “Our community now brings plastic waste to us instead of burning or dumping it, showing real behaviour change.”

Dynamic Waste Management tracks progress through the volume of plastic collected and recycled each month—an indicator of how local solutions can feed into broader climate mitigation efforts. By reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills or is burned, the initiative helps cut emissions and encourages a circular economy in which waste becomes a resource rather than a burden.

Looking ahead, Mathe and his team plan to expand their operations and deepen their community outreach. “We are working on expanding our recycling center to process more waste, start youth training programs in creative recycling, and launch educational workshops across schools in Bulawayo and Zimbabwe,” Mathe explains. These future programs aim to equip young people with skills in eco-art, recycling, and environmental stewardship, ensuring the next generation is better prepared to face climate challenges.

For those wondering how to reduce their own environmental footprint, Mathe advises beginning with what is already within reach. “Start small. Reuse what you already have. Look around your home before throwing anything away, think of how it can be redesigned. Creativity does not need big tools, only a strong will to make change.”

He encourages people to adopt simple daily habits—carrying reusable bags and bottles, avoiding single-use plastics, and supporting local initiatives like Dynamic Waste Management.

“When people see beauty and value coming from waste, they begin to rethink how they handle their own,” Bhekumuzi Mathe concludes. “My goal is to show that sustainability is not just for experts; it starts with individual creativity and responsibility. Together, we can build a greener and cleaner Zimbabwe.”