Kirinyaga man who earns a living by returning ‘garbage’ to people’s homes

If you visit Patrick Mugo’s workshop in Kutus town, Kirinyaga county, you may come across a plastic item you threw away.

Additionally, Mugo ensures it finds its way back into your house.

This is because the ‘garbage collector’ earns a living by recycling the waste.

Every day, people stream into his workshop to buy back the ‘garbage’, but this time, moulded into new, eye-catching and useful items.

An empty five-litre container of cooking oil may come back as a spare part for an agricultural spraying pump, a motorbike mudguard, peg, soap dish and many other items.

Mugo is content that this not only puts food on his table, but also helps clean the environment and ensures that his customers are satisfied.

The father of three is able to pay for his children’s education, two of whom are in secondary school.

He learnt the art of plastic recycling from a Kenyan of Indian descent at the Coast, where he moved after completing his primary school education in 1992.

“While in Mombasa, we would manufacture jewellery like wedding and engagement rings, chains and many other items,” Mugo, who is in his late 40s, says. 

Though the employer did not use plastics as raw materials, Mugo realised that most things could be moulded into anything else.

Consequently, he quit employment after five years and set up his own workshop in Mombasa in 1999, where he made similar items.

But after a short time, he returned to Kirinyaga where he set up a workshop in Kutus Town where he recycles plastic and rubber waste.

Plastics are readily available and the artisan obtains raw materials either by collecting them personally or buying them from scrap metal dealers at Sh50 per kilo.

“I melt and mould the plastics mostly into spraying pump components like adjustable nozzles, jets, top covers, triggers, diaphragm among others,” he says.

After collecting the plastics, Mugo starts by cleaning them, to ensure the end product will be attractive to buyers.

The plastics are then cut into small pieces depending on the desired end product size, melted and moulded by pressing them into that particular shape.

A five-litre container can make up to 10 sets of nozzles, he says.

Nozzles go for Sh100 per set at wholesale price.

Should Mugo fix them to the pump himself, then he charges between Sh250 to Sh300 per set.

He also makes his tools and equipment locally from aluminium scrap metal. 

His customers are mostly farmers, agrovet and hardware shops. 

Mugo also gets clients from referrals. 

GK Kamau, a  local trader, says he came to know the artisan from some of his loyal customers and highly recommends him.

”I came here today and was stunned by his work. I can say his work is wonderful,” Kamau said.

The artisan also uses the workshop to mentor others.

One of his mentees is a young man who has established a workshop at Kagumo town in the county.

Mugo also mentors two youth who work for him.

However, the venture is not without downsides.

Mugo’s biggest challenge is the lack of modern machinery that can mass-produce a variety of items.

Further, lack of electric powered modern machines has forced him to rely on charcoal for melting plastic and rubber.

 His simple, locally assembled equipment only has the capability of producing one piece at a time.

“But with a good modern ejector moulding machine, I am in a position to mass produce packaging containers, water pipes and containers, motorbike and vehicle mudguards and fenders, plastic tables, chairs and many other items.” 

Since the machine is expensive, Mugo suggests that the county government procure one and set it up at a strategic place, such as a vocational training centre, where artisans can easily access it at a fee.

By doing so, Kirinyaga can become one of the major plastic recycling hubs in the country.

The young generation can also be trained on recycling a variety of waste and earn an income.  

“The machine can create many jobs for the youth and artisans involved in recycling as well as be used for training the youth in vocational institutions on recycling,” he adds.