Garbage for cash: how Dandora community is solving its waste problem
During a recent visit to Dandora Phase Four, we met Mary Mwangi carrying a bag full of used plastics. At first, we thought she was going to dump the waste in a nearby dumpsite, but this was not the case.
She carefully carried this waste to a nearby shop and handed over the waste to the shopkeeper. After inspecting the waste, the shopkeeper told her that the waste was worth 70 tokens. He then asked her if she would like to redeem her token, which had accumulated 500 points, an equivalent of Sh250. Mwangi asked for a two-kilogramme packet of maize flour from the shop.
Mwangi explained the whole concept to us. It involves individuals bringing their recyclable waste to designated shops, known as Taka Bank kiosks and earning redeemable tokens. At the kiosk, the waste, which is mainly from households is sorted and sold for recycling.
Taka Bank kiosks are shops that have partnered with Taka Bank, an initiative that was started in 2018 by a group of young people with a simple mission of encouraging them to recycle and reduce waste. “This initiative has been of great help to me and my family since 2022. It is because of it that we have never slept hungry. I have been going around collecting plastic wastes from people’s homes and in return, get foodstuffs for free from this shop,” says Mwangi.
This initiative aims to contribute to the concept of the circular economy by promoting recycling of materials. Instead of being disposed of as waste, recyclables are reintegrated into the production cycle, reducing the need for raw materials and lowering the overall environmental impact.
Clean and recoverable state
“We collect various forms of plastic waste from packaging material to beverage containers and single–use plastics, among others. We aim to give households a chance to capture value from their waste while providing a reliable supply of materials to the local recycling industry,” says John Kinyanjui, one of the founding members of the initiative.
He says the initiative focuses on households because they want to collect plastics while they are still clean and in a recoverable state. The initiative also wants to encourage the collection and proper disposal of waste materials, often with a focus on recycling and sustainability.
“The benefit of this initiative is that the plastics do not get to the unrecoverable state. They don’t get to dumping sites, rivers, or oceans and they are clean for recycling. This initiative has contributed to environmental conservation, community development, and the reduction of waste sent to landfills,” says Peter Ajulu who works with Mr Green Africa, one of the companies that buys these waste for recycling.
Unlike before when waste collection was only reserved for city council, community members are now actively playing a major part in waste management. This has fostered a sense of environmental responsibility and community engagement.
“This initiative has played a crucial role in reducing the amount of waste sent to the dumpsite. By promoting recycling and proper waste management, the initiative has contributed to resource conservation, energy savings, and reduction of environmental pollution,” says Kinyanjui.
More returns for shops
It has also helped to divert recyclable materials from landfills, thus alleviating the pressure on landfills. This is particularly important because currently, Dandora dumpsite, which Nairobi’s only dumpsite is full and can no longer handle the 4,400 tons of plastic waste that Nairobians dump each day.
Additionally, the initiative has helped their shop partners to sell more and raise more profits. Community members no longer need to have cash to buy from these shops. With taka tokens, one can get any household essentials. These tokens are acquired when one deposits the waste at the shop. “This initiative has attracted more people to my business, increasing foot traffic. Customers are drawn to my establishment not only for my products or services, but also for the opportunity to participate in environmentally friendly practices,” says Bernard Michael who runs a Taka Bank kiosk.
Keiran Smith, CEO at Mr. Green Africa says the concept has helped them as recyclers to capture the plastics before they land to the next point where it is hard to recover. This is a good move because according to a report by International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) plastics not only harm the environment, but also human health.
Smith reveals that since plastics production has skyrocketed since the 1950s and projections suggest plastics production and waste may double or even triple in the coming decades, recycling is one of the best ways of reducing plastic pollution urging people to stop terming recycled material as inferior. “Most people have a notion that recycled material is of lower quality than a virgin material, but you can’t differentiate the two. This notion needs to end and people need to embrace recycled material since their quality is as good as that of virgin material,” says Smith.
He explains that recycling of plastics also contributes to the mitigation of climate change and the reduction of carbon footprints as recycling plastics reduces the demand for new plastic production. The production of new plastics is associated with the release of greenhouse gases.
Plastic pollution also disrupts ecosystems and harms various species. By reducing the prevalence of plastic waste through recycling, the balance of ecosystems and biodiversity can be better preserved. “Plastics are made from non-renewable fossil fuels, such as petroleum and recycling them helps conserve these finite resources by reducing the need for extracting and processing new raw materials,” adds Smith in conclusion.
