Transition from linear to circular economy in waste management

A garbage truck drives past Tom Mboya Avenue leaving behind unfriendly filth in the environs. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Kenya generates an estimated 22,000 tons of waste per day calculated by assuming an average of per capita waste generation of 0.5 kilogrammes for a current population of 45 million translating to 8 million tonnes annually.

It is estimated that 40 per cent of the waste is generated in urban areas. Given that urbanisation is increasing by 10 per cent, by 2030, the Kenya urban population will be generating an estimate of about 5.5 million tonnes of waste every year, which is three times more the amount of waste generated in 2009.