TakaTaka Composting and Sustainable Waste Management Project - Kenya

TakaTaka Solutions is a Nairobi-based waste collection and resource recycling business. Its mission is to provide affordable and environmentally friendly waste management services to all income areas.

Fast facts

TakaTaka Solutions is able to recycle up to 95% of collected waste;
It has three recycling points in Kangemi, Kawangware and Githogoro respectively;
TakaTaka Solutions has 85 employees (60% are women);
About nine tonnes of waste is collected every day from 8,000 households in four low-income areas.

The problem

Waste management is a major challenge in Kenya. The public sector struggles to run an effective and efficient waste management system. Private sector waste collection companies only collect waste to dispose it at poorly managed dump sites. As a consequence, waste management becomes so expensive that 66% of Nairobi’s inhabitants (two and half million people) cannot afford it. Uncollected waste causes severe health and environmental problems.

The solution

TakaTaka Solutions sees wastes as an opportunity. It provides affordable waste collection services to all income areas and creates jobs for youths from lower income areas. It picks up organic waste, recycle the inorganic waste and create wine glasses and tumblers out of recycled bottles. The vast majority of waste that it collects is composed of organic materials (around 60%). All of the organic waste collected is brought to a central composting facility. From the inorganic waste fraction, the initiative sorts plastics (containers, bottles, packaging), papers (paper, cardboard), metals and others. These materials are then sold to recycling industries across Nairobi. TakaTaka Solutions provides twice weekly collection, branded bins and/or sacks for waste separation and trained collectors with protective workwear.

Helping the planet

TakaTaka Solutions sorts recyclables into more than 40 fractions. From high-density polyethylene bags to light bulbs, it tries to recycle everything, which means the initiative works with many recycling partners. It also turns organic waste into high quality organic fertiliser (compost). Compost has many benefits. It closes the loop for organic waste while providing a high quality agricultural input. At the same time greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. Organic compost improves the soil structure, porosity and density, improves water holding capacity, reducing water loss and leaching and supplies the soil with a variety of macro and micronutrients.

Helping people

TakaTaka Solutions collects in 16 areas across Nairobi from all income areas. It also involves the local community in waste separation training. This training takes place in community meetings on waste management, in environmental clean-up campaigns as well as in local schools. For the school training, TakaTaka Solutions has developed a small interactive curriculum that teaches students the relevance of proper waste management, waste separation and recycling.

Scaling Up

TakaTaka Solutions aim to provide affordable waste collection services to all income areas in Nairobi. By the end of 2016, it hopes to be serving 20,000 clients (100,000 people), recycling and composting over 80% of collected waste and providing employment for 300 people. Over the next ten years, this activity hopes to reduce carbon emissions by 111,000 tonnes.