Waste management is a critical aspect of life, more so today, when the world produces a massive 2.12 billion tonnes of waste yearly.
This has contributed to global warming, climate change, and the destruction of the environment, leading to reduced biodiversity with serious consequences.
Currently, the planet is facing severe and unprecedented weather conditions, exacerbated by the over-extraction of natural resources, and pollution, specifically, the dumping of plastic waste into the environment.
Kenya mirrors international trends.
Nairobi city alone produces around 2,400 tonnes of solid waste a day, most of which ends up at the Dandora dumping site.
While the site is said to support over 3,000 families in terms of sorting out plastics and other recyclable wastes for sale, the physical conditions at the site are responsible for virulent diseases and expose nearby inhabitants to severe medical conditions and toxic poisons.
There is a need to overhaul and reimagine how dumping sites, and waste management, is done, not just in Nairobi city, but country-wide, and across the globe.
A concerted effort is required by those in manufacturing, especially in plastics, to make it their responsibility to ensure that the life cycle of plastics is within their purview to manage and recycle.
Lead patron
Taka Taka Ni Mali Foundation
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
