MOMBASA, Kenya – According to the UN General Assembly, Kenya will join the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day of Zero Waste today, Sunday, March 30, 2025, just as it did in 2023 and 2024.
This day seeks to raise awareness of sustainable production and consumption methods on a worldwide scale.
Y News understands that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is being advanced through the emphasis on recycling, reuse, and waste reduction.
Today, initiatives and events around the world will emphasise the value of reducing the environmental impact of trash and solutions for a circular economy.
Before the celebrations, through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Project, WWF-Kenya has been making significant progress in the battle against plastic pollution since 2022 with support from Norway.
The gazettement of the EPR Regulations 2024, which holds manufacturers responsible for their plastic waste, is now a significant victory!
But who are the real heroes of this transformation? Waste-pickers! Thanks to a fantastic partnership between WWF-Kenya, the County Government of Mombasa, Mr. Green Trading Africa Kenya Ltd., waste pickers in Mombasa, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, and PAKPRO Kenya, over 2,100 waste pickers have been empowered, trained, and organised into an association. They can now sift through, recycle, and earn a decent living from plastic garbage more easily.
By combining institutional and informal waste management systems to collect, sort, and recycle plastic, this partnership has contributed to the development of a more equitable, clean, and circular economy. Waste pickers are now acknowledged as important contributors to the solution of the plastic crisis, and they are no longer invisible!
Miriam Bomett, Acting Head of Policy and Research, Kenya Association of Manufacturers, said that when they visited Germany, it was eye-opening.
“I think we hadn’t envisaged this EPR thing. We were just implementing the usual Kenyan way. But when we went there, we were like, now we know what we need to do,” explained Bomett.
What “No Plastic in Nature” means to the EPR project
On his part, Alex Kubasu, Programme Coordinator Policy and Green Economy, WWF-Kenya, observed that EPR, the long name of which is No Plastic in Nature, integrates informal and formal waste managers into EPR in Kenya.
Bomett said that EPR is one of the initiatives and proposals that the private sector in Kenya proposed to be regulated.
“To take responsibility for their products that they put in the environment, which finally become waste,” said Bomet.
Dr. Ayub Macharia, Director of Environment, NEMA, revealed that the coast of Kenya is an active spot in terms of the implementation of EPR.
For Kubasu, the key elements around the EPR project were really to ensure that the waste pickers, who contribute to more than 70% in some other statistics, to all waste that is collected and recycled ought to be integrated and recognised even within an EPR regime.
Dr. Asma Awadh, Coastal Kenya Landscape Manager, WWF-Kenya, disclosed that they have worked very hard creating awareness and advocacy for the policymakers to see, for themselves to buy in, and to see their relevance to Kenya.
Kubasu further stated that the EPR project has recorded several important milestones.
“The key word is around the sensitisation, the training and the organisation of more than 2,100 waste pickers,” he added.
Justus Karani, Chairman of Takamali Waste Recyclers Co-operative, said that when they started the activity of collecting garbage, they had not thought that among the trash they were collecting there could be something valuable.
“We were just collecting without much thought. But when WWF-Kenya came and told us that we could help recoup part of what we were throwing away and that it could regenerate income, we were very attentive,” said Karani.
How the EPR project is transforming lives at the Kenyan Coast
Steve Wambua, Chairman of Malindi Waste Management Group, revealed that since the members learned and were informed about the different types of plastics and waste, they have been ready to sort and separate them.
“After separating them, they have been selling them to various organisations,” said Wambua.
Dorcas Nina, a member at Maweni Community Health Workers, said that in the past, she wanted to pursue a course in computers, but her income was too low.
“However, after I started this plastic recycling project, I can sell and earn enough money that can enable me to go to school and study that particular course in computer,” she explained.
Mrs. Nkulewa Salim, Acting Secretary of Likoni Waste Recyclers Co-operative, indicated that all waste has value.
“Because we used to think trash was just trash, but now we have learnt how to sort them. We put each type of waste in its proper place. And we learnt how those that can be sold we sell them, and those we need to store we store them while looking for a market later,” said Nkulewa.
Salama Lucas, a member of the Maweni community, recalled that when WWF-Kenya came and provided them with training, they didn’t know the different types of plastics.
“From that moment on, when I knew there were different types of plastics. Later, they linked us with Mr. Green. Later, we went to look for work at their place, and we found. I got a job in the sorting section,” said the elated Salama.
Aaron Muthami, an inventory assistant at Mr. Green, explained that their job is collecting mostly plastics from the environment.
“Then we bring it to our area to do the selection, then pelletizing,” Muthami said.
Why the public and private entities are being convened under the EPR
According to Kubasu, waste pickers and collection is a devolved function for county governments.
“This means that there is a need to set up infrastructure, the material recovery facilities, the collection system and logistics, and most importantly, the workers,” noted Kubasu.
Salama further said that after the WWF-Kenya came in, their relationship with the county government improved.
Bomett reiterated that apart from setting up the structures, it is now convening the public and private entities so that they can have dialogue around the implementation of EPR.
“It is quite important for businesses and the government to sit together over the same,” she said.
Awadh disclosed that the EPR project has collaborated with both the county and national governments.
Macharia indicated that there are currently four companies that have declared themselves as PROs.
Bomett said it is not only businesses that should be involved in the project.
“You know consumers have a role to play, government agencies have a role to play, and also non-state actors also have a role to play,” she added.
Why stakeholders are grateful to WWF-Kenya and the Norwegian government
Nina observed that as the EPR project continues, it will be good for them.
“Because also, we will continue to uplift each other and other people because there are still people who don’t know what’s going on,” she said.
According to Wambua, from his perspective, as the policies are created, the public should be informed further in regards to them.
“More resources should be allocated for sensitising the public so that people know, and once they know that they can implement this project,” Wambua added.
On his part, Hamisi Omar Mwandaro, Manager of Diani Municipality, said the moment the households can segregate, everything takes its route.
“Then we’ll even be reducing the amount of garbage that is taken to the landfill or the dumping site. They have even helped in making sure that we produce a policy for the municipalities so that what we have is completely done nicely,” said Mwandaro.
Kubasu further observed that the key area of intervention with EPR is to get the plane off the runway in terms of ensuring that the implementation matches the level of ambition of the Kenyan Extended Producer Responsibility Regulation.
Justus Karani, Chaiman of Takamali Waste Recyclers Co-operative, thanked WWF-Kenya because they have brought his group from afar.
In her closing remarks, Awadh, who is the manager for the Coastal Landscape, conveyed her appreciation to the donor for the project, the Norwegian government, and to the players in Kenya who have enabled them to see much success in such a short time.
“The informal waste managers who are now formalising the national government’s plan, the Ministry of Environment and also particularly NEMA, and the county governments and departments of Solid Waste or Departments of Environment, without their collaboration, we would not have achieved this much success within a short time, and I am grateful to them, and I look forward to implementing the next phases of this project with the stakeholders,” explained Awadh.
Y News has established that the International Day of Zero Waste 2025 theme is “Towards Zero Waste in Fashion and Textiles.”
The theme focuses on the urgent need to reduce the impact of fashion and textiles.
