In the Middle East and Africa, almost 1,000 tons of waste is produced every day, around 50 percent of which is predominantly plastic and biomass waste. We asked ourselves how to help reduce this waste, while also creating a viable businesses opportunity. My company Rugsal Trading tackles the waste crisis in Africa with two solutions. We make coconut husk briquettes as an alternative for burning coal, to combat deforestation in Sierra Leone. In addition, we make eco-friendly biodegradable paper bags from banana leaves to tackle plastic pollution. Today we have produced more than 250,000 eco-friendly bags and more than 120 tons of clean and smokeless briquettes from coconut, saving thousands of our mothers, wives and sisters from health risks by providing them with clean and affordable fuel, while saving more than 15,000 trees.