Plastic recycling creates jobs while tackling pollution at the Coast

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A plastic waste recycling project in the Coast region is creating employment opportunities for young people while helping communities address pollution caused by poorly managed waste.

The Plast Safi project, implemented by Pwani Youth Network in Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale counties, collects plastic waste from households and recycles it into paving blocks.

The initiative is funded by ChildFund Kenya, DOT and Mastercard in partnership with Hand in Hand Eastern Africa.

Pwani Youth Network Director General and Plast Safi project leader Alfred Sigo said the initiative was established to address plastic pollution and unemployment among young people.

“Instead of allowing the waste to remain in the environment, we collect it from households, sort it and bring it here to make paving blocks,” Sigo said.

He said the Mikindani facility receives more than four tonnes of waste daily and recycles between two and 2.5 tonnes.

The plastic is sorted before being shredded into small pieces, mixed with sand and molded into paving blocks.

Sigo said the project had reached more than 5,000 households through a network of waste collectors, sorters and waste managers.

He added that improved waste management had helped reduce open burning, insecurity and health risks around the facility.

“Young people are getting jobs, so insecurity has reduced. Diseases have also reduced because we now have a well-managed garbage centre. And there have been no fires here for the past two years,” he said.

The project has also provided young people with skills in waste management and machinery operation.

James Kazungu, who previously collected waste from households, said training enabled him to progress from a waste picker to a machine operator.

“I have gained skills that I can use to engage with the community, and I have moved from being a waste picker to an operator,” Kazungu said.

For waste collectors, the initiative has also become an important source of income.

Elvina Ziro, a mother of five who has worked at the facility for three years, said earnings from collecting and sorting waste help her provides for her family and pay school fees.

“This project helps me with food and educating my children. What I get from selling the waste helps me in both areas,” she said.

However, Ziro said income was not always predictable because the amount of recyclable waste collected varies.

The initiative is also seeking to increase women’s participation in the waste management sector.

Loice Khayanje, a waste manager at the facility, said waste management provided opportunities for women to participate in environmental conservation while earning an income.

“I want to be a role model for women who feel that women being in the waste management sector are unhealthy or unsexy,” she said.

The project also aims to reduce plastic waste entering drainage systems and the ocean, particularly during heavy rains.

Sigo said recycling offered an alternative to dumping and burning plastic waste, which contributes to environmental and air pollution.

Despite the progress, the project faces challenges including high electricity costs and fluctuating prices of recyclable materials.

Khayanje said the machinery used in processing plastic consumes significant amounts of power and called for investment in solar energy to reduce operating costs.

She also appealed for greater government support for waste collection and transportation and simpler regulatory requirements for waste management operators.

Hand in Hand Eastern Africa supports the initiative through its Waste to Profit programme.

Collins Mudhomi of Hand in Hand Eastern Africa said the programme promotes the conversion of waste into raw materials that can generate income.

“What some people see as waste can be a raw material for another company, and from it they can generate income,” Mudhomi said.

The project has also trained households on waste separation and provided waste pickers with protective equipment and vaccinations to improve their safety.

By Chari Suche

Reporting originally appeared via Kenya News Agency. Read the full source for additional context.