Restart Briquettes

In 2011 Mary Coulson, founder of Restart Africa, was searching for a means of providing some form of work for the youth of the streets. She hit on the idea of recycling waste materials into fuel briquettes, an eco-friendly substitute for burning charcoal which has recently been banned by the Kenyan government. The project was launched and initially manned by a team of seven former Restart boys and boys from the streets. They have now formed a youth group and we pay them for the briquettes that they produce.

Using a basic (but brilliant, and designed by us) wooden press to form the briquettes, and through patient experimentation with a cooking pot and many weeks of trial and error, a combustible formula was perfected and patented. The briquettes are made using fibre from the tonnes of plant waste being produced by the rose farms in nearby Naivasha, cardboard and a few other secret ingredients.

Restart briquettes are exceptionally cheap to make, are completely smokeless and have been tested by engineering experts at the University of Nairobi, who confirm they produce as much heat as dry firewood.

At present we are making briquettes to supply fuel to the kitchens at the Restart Centre, but in time we aspire to expand our operation so that it starts to generate income for the Children’s Centre. We are also experimenting with alternative and more sustainable materials.

For more information regarding our briquette projects please contact us at briquettes@restartafrica.org