ARE THERE LANDFILL SITES IN KENYA?

There is no single landfill site in Kenya.

The so-called Dandora landfill, Kangoki landfills are all dumpsites (open dumps) rather than landfill sites.

A landfill site is an area of land that has been specifically ENGINEERED to allow for the deposition of waste onto and into it.

This means, that the waste after collection is characterized (sorted), compacted and placed in cells within the dug site, then covered with a 0.30m thick layer of soil( daily) to prevent emission of the greenhouse gases. This seems attainable…

????????????????????????????So why exactly do we still have no landfill sites?

?????????????????????????????Why not convert the existing open dumps into landfill sites?

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As much as, yes, we are a third-world country, the common reasons are;

1.?????The low priority to waste management leading to low budgetary allocations ?

2.?????Land grabbing of land set aside for dumpsites and the skewed view of waste as garbage rather than a valuable economic commodity.

If the so-called land grabbers, could view waste as one of a monetary value, maybe we would have more private firms geared toward waste management for their own benefit which will ripple into a win for us all.

Secondly, we cannot convert these dumping sites because of all the stakeholders involved. Remember how the decommissioning of the Dandora landfill to relocate to Ruai in 2012 was revolted. There are the informal waste pickers who source their livelihoods from the dumpsite. The question should be how exactly we can empower the waste pickers to follow a streamlined system that will reduce the recyclable waste from sitting in dumpsites while increasing their pay. ?

These are all idealized views, but how can we work with what we have at hand.

How exactly can we reduce the negative impacts these dumpsites have whilst maximizing their efficiency?

Some of the measures I believe should be put in place for proper solid waste management:

1.??????Build awareness around waste sorting at the production level (households), making it easier for the informal waste pickers to promote recycling at the disposal sites.

2.?????Laws and regulations to be set in place for the private entities to sort their collected waste before disposal.

3.?????Creating training programs around waste collection, to empower the informal waste pickers and also become viable sources of employment for the youths around the country. ( Build a different light around waste picking as a valuable position and not a derogatory one)

4.?????Promoting free or affordable waste collection services for the low-income communities, to reduce open dumping and burning.

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There is still a lot more I would share on this topic, will do so In the near future.

What are your thoughts on this? I would love to hear from you…