Kenya's Recycled Plastic Revolution: An Environmental Impact

Despite Kenya's efforts to reduce plastic pollution, it continues to grapple with the issue of plastic waste. The country has implemented stringent laws and initiatives to tackle this problem, including banning plastic carrier bags and collaborating with private sector players to promote a circular economy. However, plastic pollution remains a significant challenge, with an estimated 92% of Kenya's plastic being mismanaged. While the exact amount of recycled plastic in Kenya is unclear, it is believed to be low, with only 7-8% of plastic waste being recycled, according to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). To address this issue, Kenya is exploring various solutions, including establishing aggregation hubs for recycling and creating market-based incentives for businesses to reduce plastic waste.

Plastic waste management in Kenya

The low garbage collection and sorting rates, coupled with poor waste management and rising urban pressure, have heightened the risks of environmental degradation, especially in Nairobi, which generates about 2,400-3,207 tonnes of waste per day, 20% of which is plastic. To address this issue, Kenya has implemented various initiatives, such as the Kenya Plastic Action Plan and the creation of the Kenya Extended Producer Responsibility Organization (KEPRO), which aims to map, collect, sort, and recirculate plastics. Additionally, the country banned plastic carrier bags in 2017 and restricted visitors from carrying plastic items into protected areas, including national parks, beaches, and forests.

One of the key challenges in plastic waste management in Kenya is the low rate of plastic recycling. While recycling is often touted as the solution, it has limitations and can be more costly than disposal. However, some entrepreneurs, like Nzambi Matee, are tackling this issue head-on. Matee founded Gjenge Makers Ltd., a company that recycles plastic waste into affordable and sustainable building materials, such as pavers and bricks. By using mechanical recycling, Matee's company can process between 10 and 25 metric tonnes of plastic waste each week, converting it into a valuable resource for construction.

Another critical aspect of plastic waste management in Kenya is the role of waste pickers. According to the United Nations environmental assembly, 60% of the plastic recycled globally is collected by waste pickers, who often face dangerous and discriminatory working conditions. Chweya, the leader of the waste pickers' association of Kenya, has been advocating for the recognition and justice of these workers, pushing for their inclusion in the UN treaty to tackle plastic pollution.

To effectively address plastic waste management in Kenya, a multi-faceted approach is necessary. This includes improving waste collection and infrastructure, encouraging recycling and circular economy initiatives, supporting innovative solutions like upcycling and plastic credits, and ensuring the recognition and protection of waste pickers, who play a vital role in the recycling ecosystem.

Plastic recycling initiatives in Kenya

Despite recent national commitments and policies to reduce plastic pollution and increase recycling, plastic waste remains a significant problem in Kenya. An estimated 92% of Kenya's plastic is mismanaged, with only 7% of plastic recycled. This has resulted in 37 kilotons of plastic waste leaking into the environment and ocean each year.

To tackle this issue, various plastic recycling initiatives have been undertaken in Kenya. One notable example is the creation of the Kenya Extended Producer Responsibility Organization (KEPRO), which aims to ensure that plastics are mapped, collected, sorted, and put back into circulation. Additionally, industry-led initiatives such as the Kenya Plastic Action Plan are in place to address the problem.

In Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, an estimated 2,400 tons of solid waste is generated daily, with 20% of it being plastic. Nzambi Matee, a young Kenyan woman, has founded Gjenge Makers Ltd., a social enterprise that uses plastic waste to create affordable building materials. Matee's business, which makes pavers out of recycled plastic, is supported by the World Bank as it aligns with their priority of building green and resilient cities.

Another initiative, called PETCO, is headquartered in Nairobi and aims to address the issue of plastic bottle waste. However, it has faced challenges due to insufficient funding and the lack of legal backing for recycling initiatives in Kenya.

Furthermore, a collaboration between Taka Taka and the Alliance aims to tackle the issue of flexible plastic waste in Nairobi. Taka Taka has been collecting, sorting, and processing waste in Nairobi for over a decade, and through their partnership with the Alliance, they are constructing a processing plant near the Dandora landfill to recycle flexible plastics.

Plastic waste collection in Kenya

To address this issue, Kenya has implemented several initiatives, including the Kenya Plastic Action Plan and the creation of the Kenya Extended Producer Responsibility Organization (KEPRO), which aims to map, collect, sort, and recirculate plastics. Additionally, the country banned plastic carrier bags in 2017 and joined the United Nations Environment Programme's Clean Seas campaign to reduce marine litter.

Despite these efforts, plastic waste collection in Kenya remains inadequate. One reason is the low garbage collection rate, with regular collection days being missed, leading to accumulated waste. Another issue is the low sorting rate, which hinders effective recycling. While recycling is often touted as the key to managing plastic waste, it has limitations and can be more costly than disposal.

However, there are success stories in Kenya's battle against plastic waste. Nzambi Matee, a young Kenyan woman, founded Gjenge Makers Ltd., a social enterprise that transforms plastic waste into affordable building materials. Matee's business, based in Nairobi, converts waste plastics into pavers, exterior flooring, construction posts, plastic timber, and building blocks. Her innovative approach has helped Nairobi move towards its waste recovery target of 80%, set by the National Environment Management Authority, and has received support from organisations like the World Bank.

Community initiatives, such as Plastiki Rafiki, also play a crucial role in plastic waste collection. Plastiki Rafiki focuses on collecting discarded plastic from natural areas like mountain trails and beaches to preserve these sacred spaces. They sort the collected plastic into different polymer categories, including PET-1, HDPE-2, LDPE-4, PP-5, and PS-6, for further processing.

Plastic waste disposal in Kenya

Plastic waste disposal is a significant challenge in Kenya, with an estimated 92% of the country's plastic being mismanaged. Despite recent national commitments and policies to reduce plastic pollution and increase recycling, only about 7% of plastic is recycled in Kenya. The rest is disposed of at dumpsites or ends up in the environment and the ocean, contributing to the global plastic pollution crisis.

Kenya has been grappling with the issue of plastic waste for decades, with plastic products, especially bottles, being improperly discarded and ending up in environmentally sensitive areas. The greater Nairobi area, for example, generates about 3,207 tonnes of waste per day, 20% of which is plastic. Poor waste management and rising urban pressure have heightened the risks of environmental degradation in the city, which has a population of 4.4 million people.

To address this issue, Kenya has implemented stringent laws to prevent plastic pollution and promote a circular economy. In 2017, the country banned plastic carrier bags, and since June 2020, visitors to national parks, beaches, forests, and conservation areas are prohibited from carrying plastic water bottles, cups, disposable plates, cutlery, or straws. Kenya has also established initiatives such as the Kenya Plastic Action Plan and the Kenya Extended Producer Responsibility Organization (KEPRO) to improve plastic waste management.

Despite these efforts, the low garbage collection and sorting rates in Kenya hinder the effectiveness of recycling programs. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 73% of all plastic waste generated in the country goes uncollected. The collected plastic waste is often burned, releasing toxic fumes into the environment and causing health issues for waste pickers, who are essential to the recycling process but often lack recognition and protection.

Some entrepreneurs in Kenya are tackling plastic waste disposal by finding innovative uses for discarded plastic. For example, Nzambi Matee founded Gjenge Makers, a company that recycles plastic waste into alternative building blocks and pavers. Matee's business is at the forefront of waste management and the circular economy, converting plastic waste into affordable and sustainable building materials. However, scaling operations remains a challenge for many small and medium-sized enterprises in this industry.

Plastic recycling businesses in Kenya

Despite recent national commitments and policies to reduce plastic pollution and increase recycling, plastic waste remains a significant problem in Kenya. An estimated 92% of Kenya's plastic is mismanaged, with 73% of plastic waste going uncollected and only 7-8% of plastic being recycled.

However, several recycling businesses in Kenya are working to address this issue and promote a circular economy. One such enterprise is Gjenge Makers Ltd., founded by Nzambi Matee. Gjenge Makers collects plastic waste and uses it to develop affordable and sustainable building materials, such as pavers for exterior flooring. Matee's business has flourished, and she has successfully introduced her products to the market, even breaking into the traditionally male-dominated construction industry.

Another notable company is Ecopost Limited, which uses 100% recycled plastics to create environmentally friendly plastic lumber for fencing and landscaping applications. Their product is durable, long-lasting, and cost-effective, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional timber. Ecopost buys plastic waste and fine biomass, such as HDPE polythenes (supermarket shopping bags, milk bottles) and PP polythenes (raffia bags, sugar packaging containers).

Other recycling businesses in Kenya include DiscoverBrands 3D Printing (DB3D), which produces affordable 3D printing filament and merchandise using recycled plastic. ACT, or Africa Collect Textiles Ltd., collects and sorts used textiles and footwear for reuse, upcycling, or raw material recovery to manage waste from the fashion industry. Finally, Acacia Innovations collects sugarcane waste from sugar factories and converts it into eco-friendly cooking fuel called Kuni Safi briquettes, supplying clean cooking fuel to schools and small businesses across Kenya.

These businesses are driving Kenya's transition towards a more sustainable and circular economy, tackling plastic waste management and creating innovative solutions to address the country's environmental challenges.

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