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MOMO Pencils, based in Athi River, Machakos County, has innovated a new technique to reduce the number of trees cut down every year to make writing pencils.
MOMO Pencils, based in Athi River, Machakos County, has innovated a new technique to reduce the number of trees cut down every year to make writing pencils.
The company sources its raw materials like glue and old newspapers locally and imports the graphite. CEO of the company Mahamud Omari said that newspapers cost the company just KSH 70 ($0.70) to KSH 100 ($1) per-kilogram. The price of the finished product ranges between KSH 15 and KSH 50 per-pencil, which are widely used by students for sketching, drawing in schools.
According to a report by the United Nations, eight million trees are felled every year to make pencils, contributing to deforestation. The innovative approach would considerably reduce the use of trees for pencil making. It is estimated that 82,000 trees are cut every year to make pencils.
The process of making pencils starts with newspaper collection and they are cut into the right size, then graphite is glued to the pieces. The pieces of newspapers and graphite are then put into a roller, which rolls and compresses them into pencils and later dried in the sun. Finally, they are compressed, once again, using a roller.
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Analysts feel that such efforts will reduce the number of trees cut down, while at the same time reducing the amount of wastepaper that’s dumped or burnt.
