Recycling Urban and Domestic Waste in Nairobi

How can we make Nairobi a cleaner, healthier city, and create jobs and useful products in the process?  Simon Munywe explained the operations of the Kayole Environmental Management Association in recycling domestic waste in Nairobi.

The success of the Kayole Environment Management Association (KEMA) illustrates that urban waste can be profitably recycled into a wide range of useful products.  KEMA started in 1999 and is based in Nairobi’s Kayole estate, where it employs about 50 youths to collect household waste from 4500 estate residents for a monthly fee.  These wastes are hand sorted into plastics, glass, paper and organic materials, each with a different recycled use.  Dark plastics are molded into fence posts and roofing tiles.  Clear plastics are woven into handbags.  Metal is recycled into briquette making machines and lamp stand. Sorted glass is sold to industrial recyclers.  Paper is compressed into fuel briquettes and kitchen wastes (organics) are composted. KEMA products are marketed at their Kayole office and at many craft fairs and exhibitions throughout Kenya.

One difficulty experienced by KEMA is the public’s distrust of products made from garbage.  Simon is often referred to as “mzee wa takataka” (the garbage man) by many Kayole residents whom he feels do not appreciate his role in making the city a cleaner place.  There is tremendous opportunity to expand domestic recycling while creating new jobs and goods, and Simon calls upon government to encourage new recycling efforts and to assist in changing the public’s poor perception concerning the value and safety of recycled products.