Coffee husks which had become an environmental menace at the Gusii Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union's, milling plant waste dumpsite, will now be turned into cash thanks to the Union management's new project of turning the husks into charcoal briquettes.
The Union CEO, Robert Mainya, disclosed that the husks will no longer be an environmental nuisance at the Union's dumpsite and the affiliate primary coffee co-operative societies, since a charcoal briquette processing machine is being installed to turn the coffee husks into charcoal briquettes.
Speaking from his office at Kahawa House, Mainya disclosed that the Union management had sanctioned the installation of a charcoal briquettes machine to process coffee husks into charcoal briquettes for both domestic and industrial consumption.
“The installation of the briquettes processing machine in the Union will be a good riddance to the coffee husks which had become an environmental menace, both within the Union's dumpsite and at its affiliate co-operative societies across Gusii land,” said Mainya.
Moses Kanyiki, the engineer installing the charcoal briquettes processing machine at the Union described the new venture as environmental friendly as it will protect forests from being destroyed for firewood both at domestic and industrial levels.
Kanyiki disclosed that coffee husks from mbuni and parchment coffee will be carbonised before being ground into briquettes for both domestic and industrial consumption.
“The briquettes for domestic use will be small-sized and the ones for industrial use will be large sized at one and half inch. They will be packaged into 50kg, 25kg, 10kg and 5kg bags,” he said.