Lucy Mutinda has managed to bring to life the saying, “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”.
The Mechanical Engineer initially had a go through the automotive industry having worked for General Motors and DT Dobie after completing her University studies. She, however, says that even at these prestigious firms, she felt something was missing.
"My mother always wanted me to be a doctor, but deep inside I felt I was not comfortable dealing with sickness and patients. I always told her I wanted to be an engineer," Lucy Wanjiku Mutinda narrates.
After completing high school, Lucy pursued Engineering in Moi University after which she secured a spot at a Programme in Germany encompassing leadership, project management and brand management.
It was during her training abroad that Lucy stumbled on the recycling technology that would later drive her to create her own company.
Having been back home for over five years, in 2014, aged 34, Lucy was distraught with Nairobi's poor drainage and sewerage systems. This, coupled with her love for the environment prompted her to start her own firm.
"I used to really love visiting the parks when I was in Germany. One time while I was at the park I got curious about a fountain," she explains.
Intrigued by how the fountain was running the young engineer approached one of the park attendants to find out more.
"He told me it was treated wastewater (sewage water) that actually comes back, and is reused to water the parks and run in the fountains," she marvelled.
Lucy says she had to bring this technology back to her home country.
"When I think about my city, I think about how I come across sewerage flowing in channels and burst sewers. I wanted to change this," she added.
EcoCycle, which focuses on homeowners and developers, has been installing onsite sewage waste management systems in hotels, institutions and homes.
Lucy says the first project her firm, Ecocycle, landed was a residential home in Westlands and an apartment block in Kiambu serving over 200 tenants.
Through advanced technology and a biological process, EcoCycle converts wastewater to clean reusable water.
Lucy says the treatment of human waste is conducted through a process where bacteria eat the organic waste (fecal matter) collected in an underground chamber and produce water that homeowners can use to irrigate gardens and lawns, flush toilets, wash car parks among others.
The young entrepreneur was in March 2020 appointed as the first Vice President of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya.
IEK is a society of engineering professionals and co-operates with national and other international institutions aimed at developing and applying engineering to the benefit of humanity. IEK has over 7,000 members.
"We want to ensure that mishaps such as buildings collapsing do not happen in the future," she noted.
