The government is keen to support growth of enterprises focused in waste management to help drive the country into becoming a circular economy, Environment, Climate Change and Forestry ministry has said.
This is from a linear economy, a traditional model where raw materials are collected and transformed into products that consumers use until discarding them as waste, with no concern for their ecological footprint and consequences.
It prioritises profit over sustainability, with products made to be thrown away once they have been used.
A circular economy on the other hand is focused on production that has as little impact as possible on the environment by leaving less of a footprint.
It is pegged on three principles of reduce, re-use and recycle.
According to State Department of Environment and Climate Change PS Festus Ng'e no, waste management activities are currently are not formalised, with most stakeholders and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPRs) concentrating on providing incentives to recyclers, and not providing support to the downstream.
The government has thrown its weight behind driving the creation of green jobs and supporting entrepreneurship development in waste management, while using the circular economy model to minimise waste through recycling existing materials and products, and aiding and promoting environmental protection and rehabilitation.
The ministry is committed to capacity-building programs and stakeholder engagement to ensure that the downstream is enabled to participate while benefiting economically through entrepreneurship and the creation of jobs,” PS Ng'eno said.
He affirmed commitment to improved waste management practice-reducing emissions in landfills and improving livelihoods through integration of different players in the ecosystem.
Kenya produces at least eight million tonnes of waste annually, according to the ministry, which is inviting interested investors to recycle the millions of tonnes of waste.
The PS spoke in Nairobi yesterday during the Eastern Africa Waste is Wealth’ conference, a three-day forum that brings together experts to deliberate on promoting effective waste management practices for environmental conservation and climate change mitigation in the region.
Alexander Magwiro, UNEP’s Regional Coordinator-Chemicals and Waste, noted that Kenya’s rapid industrialisation comes with increased waste generation, pushed by both product manufacturing, packaging and consumer demand.
He said there is need for investments in infrastructure for sustainable waste management, calling on financial institutions led by banks and government, to support and upscale innovations which will create jobs in the process, while mitigating environmental impact from waste.
Kenya Pirvate Sector Alliance chairperson Flora Mutahi called for the need to embrace tracking and tracing in manufacturing, amid policies that will enhance management.
The East African Business Council (EABC) has equally called for investment in infrastructure to support waste collection entities, recycling and re-use.
According to research by the Institute for Ecosystem Research, Germany and Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2022), the annual waste generated in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) increased by more than 100 per cent from 81 million tonnes to 174 million tonnes per year, between 2012 and 2016.
Waste is expected to reach 269 million tonnes in 2030. In 2018, SSA’s municipal solid waste (MSW) collection coverage was estimated to be 44 percent.
Most of the wastes generated in the East African Community comprise kitchen wastes, compound wastes, and floor sweepings, EABC chief executive John Bosco Kalisa noted.
Findings show that despite the involvement of private waste collectors, collection and coverage rates are still below expectations with the main impediments being backlogs of collected waste in public spaces, especially in low-income neighborhoods where collection efforts are critically low,”Kalisa noted
He however noted that EAC partner states have increased waste generation with organic waste representing 57 percent of generated waste, more than the world average of 46 percent where the proportion of paper and plastic waste are higher.
Waste collection and transport services are mainly in urban centers with 55 per cent of collection coverage and less than nine per cent in peri-urban and rural areas.
Climate change and the circular economy are top priorities for the East African Business Council,” he said.
The council has established a board sub-committee on climate change and in partnership with GIZ-GFA, successfully organised a dialogue on zero waste in East Africa.
As East Africans, we should all embrace the concept of zero waste and transition our business models from linear to circular economy,”Kalisa said.
The latest developments come amid a continued push to have firms Listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) embrace Environmental, Social and Governance programmes (ESG).
According to the NSE board chairman Kiprono Kittony, listed firms with solid ESGs are attracting more interest from investors.