How waste recycling is changing the face of Kibera informal settlements

“Waste is not waste until you waste it,” says Denis Juma founder of Mtaa Safi Initiative, in Kibera, Gatwekera .The Initiative started in 2018 to try find a solution to the ever growing problem of pollution by sensitising the community on proper waste disposal and encouraging recycling .

Juma explains: “Growing up in Kibera, I have witnesed numerous environmental issues including pollution, poor drainage systems, polluted rivers improper waste disposal. The face of Kibera was not something admirable and that’s why i gathered my friends and other youth in my community  to form Mtaa Safi initiative. Our aim was to try get the solution internally for that problem and lobby other stakeholders for a permanent solution to this problem.”

The 21-member group operates in 600 households within Kibera.There are also volunteers who work with them; mostly form four leavers and youth who are passionate about the environment.They are taken through mentorship and entrepreneurship programs. The programs entail sanitation matters and recycling, in line with Sustainable Development Goals.

The team conducts a mandatory garbage collection and community clean up for the members every Sunday. This involves going door to door handing over waste disposal bags for Sh30 per household. The team then collects the garbage the next Sunday for safe disposal.

“We don’t want Mtaa Safi to be something about entitlement but ownership to the community where people work towards their own change. The money we collect is to purchase the disposal bags not to pay for our services . Through that we try to teach people to take responsibility over their waste so instead of dumping them into the water ways or just anywhere,” says Juma.

Stacey Akinyi, a resident of the area,  says the efforts of the group have gone in a long way to keep her community clean. She says the issue of environmental pollution especially in the informal settements has to do with people’s mindset.This is because they were not taught any better on how to responsibly dispose off their waste. The result, she says, has been blocked water systems, flooding and consequently outbreaks if waterborne diseases.

“People here were used to dumping their waste anywhere they see fit without wondering what effect it would have on the environment.This is the reason why  when Mtaa Safi first came to hand over the disposal bags the people were a bit reluctant on taking them. For the locals, the trenches were more than enough to throw their waste in and when they took the bags, it was still difficult for them to adhere to proper waste disposal. But today, the community is more conscious on how they dispose off waste.”

According to Juma, the bigger percentage is organic waste,followed by plastics which the initiative has managed to recycle over 100 tonnes. The rest are electronic, textiles and bags. But at the moment we are working with just 5% which is plastics and organic waste with a plan in action to incorporate the rest come next year,” explains Sylvester Ochieng the HR and communication officer at Mtaa Safi Initiative.

At their centre they sort out the plastic organic waste separately.The organic waste is transported to a nearby organisation known as Whispers Champion youth Initiative where it is decomposed  and used as manure for their farming project.The plastics on the other hand would be sorted again separating PETs (polyester or the soft plastics) like the water and soda bottles as well as the packaging jars. While hard plastics like the one used for bottle tops, basins and buckets are picked up by Vintz Plastics Limited, a recycling company that recycles plastic waste making a variety of products from them.

“We are not paid for the plastics we collect but instead our patnership entails that we get part of the final products after they’ve been recycled which we sell off to help with our expenses,” says Juma.

The rest of what remains of the waste is taken to the dumpsite which is still a problem .

“Kibera has no official dumping site and that’s a challenge for us because we are left with no other option but to still use the available ones to dispose off the waste we don’t recycle for now,” says Sylvester. The team also faces the challenge of dangerous objects as they sort out the waste.

“At times volunteer participation is minimal as the are  not aligned with our mission,” says Sylvester.

Despite the challenges the team is working on a plan to expand their project next year reaching out to over 1,500 households while increasing the number of volunteers and staff. The vision is to have a waste disposal centre that would recycle 100% of the waste coming from the households within Kibera through leveraging on patnership with other organisations.

“All types of plastics and waste could be recycled in that center and those that can’t would go through the incinerator which we plan to build, using the ash from it mixed with bricks that we plan to use to upgrade houses for people with poor housing within our community. We are also going to partner with WEEE Center to recycle electronic waste, with talks already underway with the Kenya Railways to donate a piece of land now used as a dumping site to make use of it. As for our rivers we want them to flow clean and not cause damage to people’s residence that’s why we want to start planting bamboo trees along the water ways to absorb the carbon to  prevent soil erosion,” explains Juma.

For Silus Odhiambo a resident in Maratha in Kibera,the future that Mtaa safi is trying to achieve is very attainable which he wants to be part of .

Says Silus: “I believe there is a silver lining in climate change as it offers a field for stakeholders such as Mtaa Safi to try local solutions.”