A Kenyan Engineer Creates an Environmentally Friendly Invention out of a Poisonous Water Hyacinth
Thick water hyacinth mats around Lake Naivasha’s borders are suffocating aquatic life, obstructing sunlight, and ruining local fisheries. However, the invasive plant gave Kenyan engineer Joseph Nguthiru a chance to combat plastic pollution and environmental deterioration.
Nguthiru is the founder and CEO of HyaPak, a firm that turns water hyacinth into biodegradable plastic substitutes, generating environmentally benign goods and sustaining local employment. According to Nguthiru, water hyacinth is the most invasive aquatic weed in the world. “It damages aquatic ecosystems, impacts irrigation and fishing, and even raises the risk of malaria.”
The most notable invention from HyaPak is its biodegradable seedling bags, which are sown directly into the ground and release nutrients as they break down, thereby accelerating plant growth and reducing plastic waste.
Our materials solve two issues at once by feeling and functioning like plastic while breaking down rapidly,” he says. More than 20 acres of water hyacinth have been removed from Lake Naivasha thus far by Nguthiru’s team. He has been recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the 2025 Young Champion of the Earth Award for his work.
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