By Natalya Sarkari
How is Kenya combating plastic waste?
The country of Kenya is producing tons of waste (literally) every single day. The capital city, Nairobi, generates between 2 and 3 tons of waste, with as much as 30% of it being plastic waste. Although 2 to 3 tons daily may not seem like a lot compared to New York City or Miami (22,000 tons and 13,500 tons, respectively), every pound counts when waste infrastructure is chronically underfunded. Unlike in the United States, where many counties have regulated landfills and waste collection services, Kenya has little to no management strategy for waste generated. Much of Kenya’s litter ends up in rivers, the Indian Ocean, open landfills, or simply dumped on the street or into the environment.
Kenya, however, implemented bold environmental policies over the past decade. In 2017, Kenya enacted one of the world’s strictest bans on single-use plastic bags. Violations can include hefty fines and even jail time. Since then, the government has expanded the moratorium to include more types of plastic, such as bottles and straws. According to the UN Environmental Programme, this ban will encourage visitors to bring reusable bottles, straws, and containers. It also facilitates the innovation of eco-friendly packaging and business.
The Kenyan government was hailed internationally for its bold, progressive plan in combating plastic waste. And, although neighboring countries are adopting their own plans, this doesn’t address plastic pollution that is already in the environment.
This plastic, called legacy plastic, can last for thousands of years before degrading- that is, if it degrades at all.
Many community-led solutions are finding different ways to combat plastic waste. For example, the Chemi Chemi Foundation, based in Nairobi, is focused on climate resiliency and the education of youth, women, people with disabilities, and other marginalized groups on environmental issues.
So, what is ESES doing?
ESES has partnered with the Chemi Chemi Foundation to bring a processor to Nairobi. Chemi Chemi spokeswoman, Nancy Marangu, is working to bring more opportunities- such as international partnerships like the one formed with ESES- to Nairobi, and Kenya as a whole.
During ESES’ 2025 research trip, we worked with Chemi Chemi and one of their partners, Treeside Special School. Treeside Special School is a special education school in Kasarani, Nairobi, and serves children with intellectual disabilities from 5 years old up to adulthood.
Treeside cooks three meals a day for its students, some of whom board at the school during the week. To cook their meals, the faculty and staff use a traditional three-stone fire. Although this method is traditionally cheap, it is also inefficient and incredibly unhealthy due to the ash and sulfur it produces. One of the goals of ESES during this trip was to provide and teach the faculty and staff to use a Polyfuel Processor. This will not only provide a way to process waste plastic in the Kasarani neighborhood, but also offer cleaner cooking oil than organic matter, such as wood and leaves.
ESES had the opportunity to spend a week at the school. During this week, we got a tour of Treeside Special School, built the processor, conducted interviews, and took lots of photos! We are thrilled to announce that the school has already produced its own fuel after we left! More updates to come, including a blog post to recap our time in Zimbabwe!
