A national waste-management initiative
A cleaner, healthier Kenya starts with you.
Zero Waste Kenya helps households, counties and businesses reduce, segregate and recover the waste they produce — so less of it ends up in rivers, streets and open dumps.
Registered in Kenya · Working with county governments · Policy-aligned (SWM 2021)
0.5 kg
of waste generated per Kenyan, every day
50M+
people producing it — over 25,000 tonnes a day
<20%
is currently recovered, recycled or composted
90%
could be composted or recycled instead of dumped
In partnership with
About the campaign
Every Kenyan responsible for the waste they create.
Zero Waste Kenya is a national initiative promoting sustainable waste management. We work to reduce, reuse and recycle — and to make taking responsibility for your own waste the normal thing to do, in every home, school, market and county.
Our mission
To empower individuals and communities to adopt sustainable waste-management practices — reducing waste and protecting the environment for future generations.
Our vision
A zero-waste Kenya where individuals and organisations embrace responsible waste management, contributing to a cleaner, healthier environment for all.
Steps to zero waste
Six steps anyone can start today.
01
Reduce
Refuse single-use items, repair what you have, and upcycle before you throw away.
02
Segregate
Sort at source into organic (green), recyclable (blue) and residual (black) bins.
03
Drop off
Take sorted waste to a Material Recovery Facility, collection point, or a store take-back bin.
04
Recycle or compost
Organics become compost; plastics, paper, glass and metal go back into production.
05
Educate others
Share what works with your family, estate, school or workplace — habits spread.
06
Report illegal dumping
Spotted a dump site? Report it and we escalate it to the responsible county office.
By the numbers
25,000 tonnes a day. Less than a fifth recovered.
Every Kenyan generates about 0.5 kg of waste a day. Most of it could be composted or recycled — very little is.
Source: Sustainable Waste Management Policy, 2021.
Source: Sustainable Waste Management Policy, 2021.
What's in Kenya's bins
Nine in ten bins don’t need to go to a dumpsite.
90%could avoid
the dumpsite
the dumpsite
- 60%Organic — compostable
- 30%Recyclable
- 10%Other / residual
Where it ends up
Most of what could be recovered still isn’t.
Technology
For the waste that can’t be recycled: Samawati ToSHA.
ToSHA is a plasma-thermal system that processes residual waste — including biomedical waste and unrecyclable plastics — into reusable, non-toxic ash, with up to 98% lower greenhouse-gas emissions than landfill or open burning.
- 0 toxic residue to landfill
- CO₂ carbon-credit eligible
- Ash reused in construction
Why zero waste matters
Cleaner streets. Healthier families. Real jobs.
By adopting zero-waste practices we transform our environment. Cleaner streets mean healthier living spaces, and recycling creates green jobs that support sustainable growth.
Cleaner communities
Fewer open dumps, unblocked drains and estates that stay clean between collections.
Healthier families
Less burning, less stagnant water and fewer disease vectors around the home.
Green jobs
Collection, sorting, composting and recycling create dignified local employment.
Did you know?
One bottle. Up to 450 years.
A plastic bottle dropped on the street today can take up to 450 years to break down. Every one we keep out of our streets and rivers counts.
Source: NOAA Marine Debris Program
“
Zero waste starts with how we see waste.
Our workshops and training help households, schools and businesses rethink what they throw away — and keep it out of the bin altogether.
— Zero Waste Kenya
Get involved
Ready to make a difference?
Three ways in — pick the one that fits you, your company or your county.
Volunteer
Join clean-ups, school outreach and MRF days in your county.
Sign up →
Partner with us
Counties, companies and NGOs: sponsor bins, fund a ToSHA or co-run a programme.
Talk to partnerships →
Report illegal dumping
Send a location and photo. We log it and escalate it to the county.
Report a site →
Policy & Law · 12 Aug 2025
Fund the work. Every shilling is accounted for.
Bins for a school, a county outreach day, or a share of a ToSHA unit — donations are reported under our published Donations Policy.