South African student transforms sugarcane and maize waste into bioplastic

​Representative Image of biodegradable plastic made from sugarcane and maize waste (AI-generated image) Onndinadaho Rasilwela, a chemical engineering graduate from South Africa, has won top honours at the 2026 Green Youth Indaba for developing a biodegradable plastic from agricultural waste. A member of the Tshwane University of Technology’s Student Women Economic Empowerment Programme, Rasilwela received R150,000 for her project, Biomulchies, which uses materials including sugarcane bagasse and maize stalk to produce biodegradable mulch. The award was announced at Sun City in the North West province, where the Green Youth Indaba was held from 17 to 19 June 2026. Her project focuses on a familiar problem for farmers: plastic mulch is useful for controlling weeds and retaining moisture around crops, but conventional plastic can remain in the soil after it is no longer needed. Rasilwela’s research looks at whether agricultural waste could instead be turned into a material that provides a biodegradable alternative for agricultural use.How Rasilwela turned agricultural waste into biodegradable plasticRasilwela holds an Honours degree in Chemical Engineering and works as a Research Assi...