Kenyan factory switching to greener tea drying to save forests
Kenya's Makomboki tea factory is pioneering a greener and forest friendlier way of drying tea leaves that is saving tens of thousands of trees every year. Makomboki switched from firewood to briquettes made of biomass byproducts that would otherwise be treated as waste. Made from macadamia, cashew and rice husks, they also include sawdust, which is usually discarded by timber producers. For Makomboki, the briquettes represent substantial savings of around 60,000 trees every year and also cost almost half as much. This form of tea drying also reduces the emission of carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change.