Millions of informal waste pickers, like those at Kenya’s Dandora dumpsite, play a key role in reducing plastic waste, but poor policies and health risks threaten their livelihoods.
Hellen Shikanda reports for Nation.
In short:
- Kenya banned plastic bags in 2017 and single-use plastics in protected areas in 2019, yet waste pickers still find such plastics piling up at dumpsites.
- The government’s new regulations under the Sustainable Waste Management Act aim to hold manufacturers accountable for plastic waste through Extended Producer Responsibility.
- Waste pickers globally push for recognition in international plastic treaty talks to secure better working conditions and health protections.
Key quote:
“The dumpsite is a crisis... I see it as a cemetery where people are buried and left to rot.”
— Solomon Njoroge, chairperson of the Nairobi Recyclable Waste Association
Why this matters:
Informal waste pickers help fight plastic pollution yet face severe health risks and economic exploitation. Strengthening laws to hold manufacturers accountable and ensuring fair conditions for waste pickers could enhance global efforts to tackle this growing crisis.
