Consumption outpacing recycling of waste, data shows

Kenya generated 55,596 tonnes of electronic waste in 2025, according to the latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), underscoring the scale of a mounting waste crisis even as the country accelerates efforts to build a circular economy.

 In recent years, the country has passed several pieces of legislation, such as the Sustainable Waste Management Act (2022) and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations (2024), to help manage e-waste. 

 These laws paved the way for the creation of Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), which are now handling waste on behalf of brand owners, manufacturers, and importers of electronic products.

 Some of the PROs include Kenya Extended Producer Responsibility Organisation (KEPRO), Extended Producer Responsibility Organisation of Kenya (EPROK), Hazardous Waste Producer Responsibility Organisation of Kenya (HAPROK) and Packaging Producer Responsibility Organisation Ltd (PAKPRO).

 The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) also published draft e-waste regulations in 2025, with a Bill sponsored by nominated Senator Peris Tobiko proposing stringent measures for managing waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the country.

 The Bill proposes a fine of up to Sh50,000 or six months’ imprisonment for violators of the regulations.

 In March, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) introduced new technical rules requiring all mobile devices coming into the country to have a Type-C charging interface.

 These new specifications, which align with the European Union (EU) common charger directive that took effect in December 2024, are expected to not only improve customer convenience but also reduce e-waste by standardising charging ports for mobile phones and other electronic devices.

 However, the recent survey by KNBS suggests that Kenyans’ consumption of electronics is outpacing the country’s circular economy initiatives. From 48,461 tonnes in 2021, 50,360 tonnes in 2022, 51,920 tonnes in 2023 and 53,559 tonnes in 2024, e-waste volumes have maintained a slow but steady increase in the last five years.

 This rise has been attributed to increased supply and demand of electronic products, Kenya’s rate of second-hand electronic imports, lack of repair options for some devices and inadequate regulation of the electronics industry in the country.

 And as pressure grows to collect and recycle more discarded electronics, stakeholders in the waste sector say an unexpected challenge is complicating that push: more Kenyans now expect to be paid for the waste they dispose of.

 From old clothes and broken electronics to discarded household items, what was once thrown away is increasingly being treated as a tradable asset. Experts are now warning that this mindset, fueled by the growing popularity of green initiatives, could undermine the very programmes meant to reduce waste and promote sustainability.

 It is a mildly hot Saturday morning when Enterprise visited Baraka Estate in Tassia, Embakasi East subcounty in Nairobi, during a waste-collection drive in the area. Three organisations have teamed up to collect textile and electronic waste from residents.

 We arrive at around 10:30 am, EPROK, e-waste Initiative (EWIK), and Africa Collect Textiles (ACT) have already set up their tents, and collection has begun.

 Bags of textiles

Soon after exchanging pleasantries, a black saloon car parks next to the estate’s main gate, where a collection point has been set up. Three occupants come out of the car with two big bags of textiles they want to dispose of. Their driver casually says that they have come to “sell” the items. I thought it was a joke.

“They wanted money in exchange for the textiles they had brought,” EPROK Coordinator John Ayara later told me. “They went back with their items when we said we are not buying,” he said, much to my amusement.

 I was left wondering what they were going to do with clothes, shoes and other textiles they were no longer using. To me, that was a waste. It’s just like donating items to a children’s home. But to Kenyans like that driver, it was an opportunity to get some “green cash.”

 The irony is that projects of such nature are usually expensive and often depend on donor funding, which is never guaranteed and is not sustainable in the long run.

 “That is why we are now shifting to initiatives that will help us generate our own income. We repurpose the materials we collect into fabrics that are wearable,” says Trizah Michelle from ACT. “We are already distributing uniforms to a security firm in Kenya,” she says.

 Her organisation contributes to the circular economy by collecting, sorting, and transforming used textiles into products that can be used again by consumers.

 The textiles are grouped into wearables, which ACT donates to needy communities, and non-wearables, which are shredded and repurposed into new products, a capital-intensive initiative.

 Although donor funding has grown over the years, Trizah says that’s still the biggest challenge the organisation faces. The other challenge is helping Kenyans understand the importance of disposing of waste, and doing so correctly.

 If not managed properly, waste can have devastating effects on both the environment and human health. “People don’t usually see used items as waste, especially when they have a sentimental attachment to them. Some need incentives to let go of electronic products that have reached their end of life,” says Ayara.

 EPROK, which majorly deals with e-waste, has been partnering with major retailers to hand gift vouchers to volunteers during their collection drives, a strategy that works in areas like Tassia.

 In more affluent areas like Kilimani, residents are more open to green initiatives and don’t need incentives to give you their waste. But not all e-waste is valuable, and giving incentives may financially hurt organisations as returns are not always guaranteed.

  “Some of the items we receive are too bad to be recycled or refurbished,” says Valyne Laibuta from EPROK. “Kenya does not have the technology to mine precious metals from e-waste formally, so we have to export to Dubai at a very costly price.”

 A recent report by Greenpeace Africa showed that Kenya imports about 70 per cent of its electronic equipment, most of which is near the end of its life, thus compounding e-waste volumes.

 The organisation notes high volumes of electronic imports and weak quality control as key challenges in Kenya’s electronics sector. “This e-waste is labelled as refurbished and recyclable, receiving tax levies, but often consists of contaminated materials that cannot be processed locally.”

  Furthermore, the organisation notes that only one per cent of e-waste is formally recycled. This means the majority of the country’s e-waste is handled by the informal sector, which is unable to manage waste sustainably. These informal waste pickers and communities living near popular dumpsites are consequently left to deal with the negative effects of a worsening e-waste crisis.

 “Exposure to toxic chemicals released during unsafe handling of electronic waste, including open burning, acid leaching, and manual disassembly, has left 61 per cent of waste pickers in Nairobi’s Korogocho settlement with health problems, with nearly half of them suffering from respiratory illness, and more than a third reporting skin infections,” reads a recent policy brief by the organisation.

 Concerns of environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emissions caused by improper waste management have intensified the push for a circular economy. There have also been initiatives by the government and privates sector to train informal waste pickers and recyclers on proper waste management.

 Kenya’s rising e-waste and the subsequent commercialisation of green initiatives are thus not accidental. In the past, waste picking was considered a poor man’s job. But over the years, “there has been emphasis on converting trash into treasure, and Kenyans now know it’s a lucrative business,” says Anita Soina, an environmentalist and climate change advocate.

 Since proper waste management can be expensive, Soina argues that it is not strange for people to ask for money for waste because it’s a business. “It’s not like these organisations recycle waste to donate; they also sell, so it’s fair for them to pay for waste,” she says. The activist believes that this helps to create more green opportunities, and no one should be victimised for wanting to get money out of green initiatives.

 “Whether it’s online activism, or a green project running in a community, or it’s an organisation that does formal recycling, money is always needed. As long as that’s not the main focus, then everyone should be able to get funds for what they do,” she says. As the country struggles with high unemployment among young people, Kenya’s waste problem has become a tricky balance between creating opportunities for a restless youth and implementing stringent regulations to avert a runaway environmental and health crisis.

 On one hand, citizens are encouraged to reuse, repair or recycle products with the hope of reducing waste from landfills and associated emissions. On the other hand, the State is being accused by organisations like Greenpeace Africa of failing to ensure the quality of second-hand imports.

 Both electronic devices and used textiles (mitumba) come into the country without proper checks, worsening an already difficult crisis.