Organic Waste Recycling for a Sustainable Future in Kenya

With a rapidly growing urban population, many cities across the world are struggling to manage large amounts of organic waste. In the report titled ‘Trends in Solid Waste Management‘, the World Bank estimates that the world generates 2.01 billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) annually, and this is projected to double by 2050, reaching up to 3.40 billion tons. Of this solid waste, approximately 44% is food and green waste.

Kenya generates between 3,000 to 4,000 tons of waste per day, the majority of which originates from urban areas. According to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Nairobi (the country’s capital city) generates between 2,000 to 2,500 tons of waste daily, of which 80% is organic and 20% is in plastic form. Of the waste generated by the city, only 45% is recycled, reused or transformed into a form which can yield an economic or environmental benefit: very far from the 80% target set by the NEMA. The bulk of the waste, especially in urban areas, ends up in landfills or is burnt, leading to environmental pollution and the release of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) such as black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons, which contribute to climate change.

Beyond being a health and environmental hazard, organic waste has huge economic costs for producers. Traced along the value chain, wasted organic matter means that the resources that went into its creation (such as water, fertilizer, energy and land) also go to waste.

Embracing the principles of circularity could be a major strategy for Kenya to achieve a sustainable food future. To create circular economy loops requires an agroecological thinking at all levels of the food system (production, marketing, transportation, consumption and waste management). Food by-products generated during production, transportation, storage, food processing and any lost or wasted produce within the value chain can be turned into useful bio-products, generating positive economic and environmental outcomes.

“Valuable resources are lost when food is wasted in dumpsites. Adopting circularity through organic waste conversion to organic fertilizer helps to return the nutrients back to the farms” noted Boaz Waswa, Soil Health Specialist at the Alliance.