MOMBASA, Kenya – The International Waste Pickers Day 2025 may be behind us after taking place on March 1.
However, the world continues to honour the hard-working waste pickers who play a crucial role in waste management, recycling, and environmental conservation.
Back home, their role helps reduce pollution, improve public health, and drive Kenya towards a circular economy where waste is minimised and resources are reused efficiently.
For example, Mombasa’s waste managers were not acknowledged or supported for many years. That is no longer the case.
More than 1,000 people have received training, legal recognition, and connections to leading recyclers thanks to Susan Omingo and the Pwani Circular Economy Association’s (PCEA) leadership.
Why the Pwani Circular Economy Association is a game changer
A genuine transition to a circular economy is taking place, and it is being spearheaded from the very beginning.
Omingo says that PCEA has brought together the actors within the space, and through this, it has enabled them to get formal legal recognition, and they have also been able to get legal recognition from the local and even from the national authorities.
“The whole concept of segregating waste at source, which ideally is the backbone of the circular economy, is now being embraced more by the waste managers and also by the community at large that we work with,” Omingo explains.
The waste managers have also been able to benefit from capacity development.
“We brought them together and trained over 1,000 waste managers within Mombasa County alone, and the training is still going on,” she discloses.
The members have also been able to be linked up to some of the top recyclers that give the best prices for their recyclables, and so they can have even more income streams.
“Our voices are being heard in the process, and they get even more respect, and we are being involved in the process, and the needs of our members are going to be addressed even in the process,” Omingo exudes with confidence.
What is the current state of waste management in Mombasa County
Mombasa County produces a significant amount of municipal solid waste (MSW), estimated between 708 and 2200 tons daily.
However, less than half of this waste is collected, with collection rates around 56% of the 708 tons produced. A substantial portion of the collected waste, around 5%, is further managed, implying the rest likely ends up in landfills or improper disposal sites.
The remaining uncollected waste poses a major environmental challenge for the city.
Which are some of the organisations funding and supporting PCEA
This ambitious program is being funded and supported by Danida (Danish International Development Agency in Kenya), Danida Market Development Partnerships (DMDP) and WWF-Kenya.
Danida operates under the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It’s responsible for administering all of Denmark’s bilateral development assistance.
On the other hand, DMDP aims to foster market-driven, sustainable growth and employment in developing countries. It connects commercial and non-commercial entities to promote sustainable business, development, and job creation.
The program’s core objective is to stimulate local economic activity and market expansion and unlock business potential, thereby generating employment and income.
WWF-Kenya has been working in Kenya since 1962 alongside the government, civil society, private sector organisations and local communities to contribute towards providing an enabling environment for the achievement of sustainable natural resource management.
