Winfred Lwire

Tanzanian environmentalist who pioneered plastic waste management innovations in East Africa

Winfred Lwire (born 1985) is a Tanzanian environmental scientist and entrepreneur behind Mwagusi Eco Solutions, a company converting plastic waste into construction materials. Her 2020 invention of 'plastic bricks' - interlocking building blocks made from 99% recycled plastic - has transformed waste management in Dar es Salaam. By 2023, her initiative had diverted 1.2 million kg of plastic from oceans, winning the UNEP Young Champions of the Earth award. She co-developed Tanzania's first Circular Economy Policy framework adopted in 2021, and her 2022 documentary Plastic to Progress (available on Vimeo) inspired similar projects in Kenya and Uganda. Partnering with World Economic Forum, she launched the African Plastic Credit System in 2023, creating carbon credits for plastic collectors. Her TEDx talk Turning Trash into Treasure has over 2.1M views. Lwire's work is featured in 《The Circular Economy Handbook for Africa》 (2024) and she advises the African Union on sustainable infrastructure. Recent innovations include biodegradable packaging materials for East African fisheries.