Over 2000 tons of garbage piles up daily in six major towns

NAKURU, KENYA: An average of 45 percent of waste go uncollected in six major towns across the Country according to a report by National Environmental Complaints Committee.

Nairobi,Kisumu, Thika, Nakuru, Mombasa and Eldoret towns generate estimated waste of about 6,000 tons per day, however only 3,962 tons are collected while over 2,000 tons remain uncollected. According to the report, Mombasa tops the list with 770 tons of uncollected waste although 65 percent of the 2200 tons of generated waste is collected on a daily basis.

Kisumu County however leads in those with the least efforts of collecting daily generated garbage. Only 20 percent is collected according to the report leaving behind 80 tonnes of uncollected waste.
Nairobi tops the list in active waste collection where 80 percent of the daily generated garbage is collected. However, 240 tonnes of waste still remains uncollected.

Other towns including Eldoret leaves behind 270 tons of garbage uncollected on a daily basis while Thika leaves behind 60 tons and Nakuru 138 tons.

According to the report, complaints of waste management are rampantly reported constituting 26 percent of all complaints received and investigated by the team.

Air and Noise pollution follow with 19 and 13 percent while Environmental impact assessment and licensing, land use, water pollution and deforestation also form part of the complaints.

The report reveals that 24 million plastic bags are used monthly in Kenya, a situation which has constrained County governments in terms of finances.

20 percent of the waste generated in Nairobi, the report reveals, consists of plastic bags.
"The plastic bags initiative will require tightening regulations in order to limit production and usage of environmentally detrimental bags," part of the report read.

The report however recommends for development of databank for plastic waste and developing appropriate technologies for collection, sorting, and transportation, recycling and selling of plastic waste.

According to the Committee's Chairman Dr John Chumo, the move to ban plastic carrier bags will be key in battling challenges of waste management in Counties.