Proper investments key to sustainable waste management

A woman scavenges for recyclable materials at Dandora dumpsite on the outskirts of Nairobi. [Reuters]

Solid waste disposal and management is slowly becoming a developing nation’s problem and adaptive leadership seems a good way out of it. Having lived and worked in Nairobi for the bigger part of my adult life, can’t help but notice the little adamance shown by the city management officials in implementing a sound waste management system especially in low- and middle-income settlement areas.

Even the few designated dumpsites that exist in other part of the town, they lack appropriate technologies and disposal facilities to totally deal with all kind of waste. In a single day, Nairobi generates 2200 tons of solid waste. Something that seems to have overwhelmed the people tasked to deal with solid waste and has in turn soared some key streets and residential areas with pungent smell of overflowing garbage.