• County governments will set aside land for waste recovery, recycling facilities and sanitary landfills.
• Proposal redefines waste as a contributor to economic growth opportunity rather than a problem.
Image: FAITH MATETE
County governments will be required to dispose of waste within their borders if a new waste management law is adopted.
In the proposed bill by the Ministry of Environment, counties will only be allowed to discard their waste in other counties if there is an agreed framework for inter-county transport of garbage.
In 2018, the National Environment Management Authority registered 328 cases of illegal movement and dumping of waste, a 613 per cent jump since 2014.
“A total of 527 crimes were reported to Nema in 2018, out of which 62.2 per cent were related to illegal movement or dumping of waste,” the Economic Survey 2019 indicates.
So as to cut down waste by 95 per cent, the National Sustainable Waste Management Bill, 2018, has provided measures to curb the waste problem in the country.
Through the National Land Commission, each county government will ensure it has set aside or acquire at least 20 acres in one or more lots for waste disposal.
These will be the designated sites for setting up waste recovery, recycling facilities and sanitary landfills for secure final disposal of non-recoverable waste.
Counties will ensure collection and separation of waste at the source in neighbourhoods and informal settlements.
Service providers will then move the waste to material recovery facilities for sorting, selling and treatment.
Five per cent of the waste will go to landfills, 30 per cent will be recycled, while 60 per cent will be turned into manure. Only five per cent will be incinerated.
Currently, the waste generated goes directly to the dumpsite, which has resulted in massive growth of dumpsites across the country.
In the case where a county fails to undertake its waste management duties within one year of the entry into force of the Act, the national government may withhold all or part of the allocation for waste management.
Withholding of the allocation will remain in force until the county conforms with the provisions of the Act and undertakes to manage the waste under the polluter pays principle.
The 'polluter pays' principle is the commonly accepted practice where those who cause pollution bear the costs of managing it to prevent damage to the environment or human health.
In a speech read by Principal Secretary Ibrahim Mohammed on Friday at the KICC, Environment CS Keriako Tobiko said the policy redefines waste as a contributor to economic growth opportunity rather than a problem.
This will be through the promotion of green entrepreneurship, technology transfer, green jobs and wealth creation by creating value from waste.