This archive report was first published on 22 June 2021.
On June 22, 2021, Nairobi Metropolitan Services Director-General Major General Mohammed Badi announced plans to enforce a new waste management law in the city.
According to Badi, the law will require residents to separate waste at the household level, with each household needing four dustbins for different types of waste.
Speaking during the launch of the Nairobi Circular Economy campaign, Badi stated that the current waste management system is linear and inefficient, with 3,000 metric tonnes of waste generated daily being dumped in Dandora.
“Nairobi generates 3,000 metric tonnes of waste in a day yet we have a linear method of collecting and dumping in Dandora. There is a law in the making that will ensure separation is done at the household level,” he said.
The Ministry of Environment has launched the circular economy campaign to educate Kenyans on proper waste management and to promote the reuse and recycling of waste.
Environment PS Chris Kiptoo explained that circular economy involves handling discarded materials as commodities for reuse rather than for disposal, and conserving them through waste prevention, recycling, composting and other technologies.
As part of the campaign, the county is constructing material recovery centres in all 17 city sub-counties for the collection of segregated wastes.
“Remember that all waste we generate can be reused or recycled and can earn you a living,” said Badi.
