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PlastiBytes collects plastic bottles, transforms them into high-quality 3D printing filament, and puts the tools of creation into the hands of Africa's makers.
"Africa's makers needed affordable materials. Plastic waste was everywhere. We saw one solution."
— PlastiBytes founding team
PlastiBytes was founded in Buea, Cameroon — on Silicon Mountain, where Africa's most passionate hardware innovators gather to build the future. We watched local makers struggle with the cost of imported 3D printing materials, while plastic bottles piled up in neighbourhoods across the country.
So we built something: a process that cleans, shreds, and extrudes discarded PET bottles into filament that rivals anything imported. Local supply. Local labour. Local pride. Every spool we produce removes waste from the environment and reduces what makers have to spend to pursue their ideas.
Since then we've expanded our collection network across 15 communities, supported over 500 makers, and processed more than 10,000 bottles — and we're just getting started.
Founder & Chief Maker
Growing up in Buea, Matt-Klaus saw two urgent realities up close: the untapped ingenuity of African makers starved for affordable tools, and streets and waterways clogged with plastic waste that no one had figured out how to use.
Trained in materials engineering and community development, they spent years prototyping recycling machines before launching PlastiBytes from a rented workspace on Mayor Street. Today, PlastiBytes is a growing team of engineers, recyclers, and community organisers united by one belief: that what Africa throws away can power what Africa builds.
Matt-Klaus still hand-tests every new filament batch — because quality is not something you outsource.
"We don't import innovation. We grow it right here."
Every spool begins as waste. We measure success in bottles removed, not just spools sold.
Our collection networks create income at neighbourhood level. When PlastiBytes wins, the community wins first.
Made in Africa means made to a standard. Every batch is tested for tensile strength, diameter, and print performance.
Communities and partner collection points bring us discarded plastic bottles. We run drop-off drives across 15+ neighbourhoods, paying collectors fairly for every kilogram they bring in. Plastic that would have clogged a drain starts its journey to something far better.
In our Buea workshop, bottles are washed, shredded into flake, dried, and extruded into precision filament. Diameter, temperature, and colour consistency are monitored at every stage — the result performs reliably without the import premium.
Makers across Africa load our filament and print what the continent needs — prosthetics, agricultural tools, teaching aids, product prototypes. Every object printed with PlastiBytes filament proves that Africa's waste can become Africa's future.
500+ makers empowered
and growing every month15 communities and growing
across Cameroon
Buea, Cameroon — and beyond
Silicon Mountain proud
100% recycled, 100% African
made right hereJoin Africa's maker movement. Shop our filaments or reach out — we'd love to hear from you.
info@plastibytes.com · (+237) 695 422 270 · Buea, Cameroon