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Solid Waste Management in Nairobi

Introduction
Nairobi is home to a population of 3,138,369 .It's the capital city of Kenya and is popularly referred to as "the green city in the sun". Nairobi is an important regional hub for commerce, industry, tourism, education and communication.In addition, 876,000 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is generated per year.

Main Actors
The Nairobi City Council(NCC) and the private sector are the key actors in the solid waste management system as their is no single body responsible for solid waste collection.The private sector is the main actor in waste collection. According to the [UN Habitat] report on solid waste management this sector, "consists of more than a 100 companies, small enterprises and CBOs registered to collect waste, recyclables and compostable material." The city council is responsible for formulation of policies and solid waste management in the Central Business District(CBD), while the private sector is responsible for waste collection in residential areas and private companies. Nairobi reports 60% to 70% collection with a 100% collection in the CBD and an overall 54% generated waste being collected in the city.

Dandora Dumpsite
History Dandora dumpsite is Nairobi's official main dumpsite and has been operational since the 1970s.It's about 8 km way from the city and is close to the heavily populated low income estates such as Dandora, Korogocho, Baba Dogo and Huruma. .It is home to a 1\4 of a million and the dumpsite contains over a 30 solid acres. The site was among the Blacksmith Institute list of the dirty 30 most polluted places in the world .The dumpsite contains industrial wastes that include expired goods, agricultural wastes such as pesticides. hospital wastes such as packaging materials, sharps, pharmaceuticals and syringes, biological wastes, heavy metals such as lead and mercury and POPS(persistent organic pollutants) such as DDTS. Impact

Air pollution
Due to incineration, a dark cloud of smoke is often surrounding the site and a pungent smell is often emitted. Uncontrolled dumping has led to sporadic carbon explosions.

Water Pollution
The site often overflows with garbage and wastes spill onto the roadside and seep into the Nairobi river..

Security Risks
The dumpsite has created a hideout for neighborhood thugs due to the unrestricted entry into the site. Weapons are often hidden in the site and unsuspecting passerby victims are often attacked by thugs hiding in the site.

Health Risks
Many residents often search the site for food and recyclable items. They are exposed to harmful metals such as lead gases such as methane. Domestic animals such as dogs, cats and chicken also roam the site in search of food ingesting harmful bacteria and chemicals then carrying these substances back to households. An Envilead study found that free range chicken eggs collected near the site contained an extremely high level of dioxins which were higher than the EU limitof dioxins.. Interventions There has been a proposal to move the site to Ruai and turn it into a recreational parkbut the high cost of setting up a recycling facilities has delayed the relocation of the dumpsite and a proposal has been made to temporarily move the site to nearby Kayole.

Plastic bag problem
Polythene bags make up 225 tonnes of the 2000 tonnes of waste in Nairobi in a single day .As of 2006,more than 24 million plastic bags were consumed monthly and a study found that 4000 tonnes of plastic bags were produced monthly with half of the bags ending up in the solid waste stream. A different study found one supermarket issuing a total of 8,000,000 bags in only one month. Impact Plastic bags are the main culprits of litter in Nairobi and are responsible for the blockage of drains and gutters which has created drainage problems during heavy rains. .The bags lead to death of livestock when consumed affecting the soil's ability to produce. They collect water during the rainy season and act as a breeding ground for mosquitoes hence contributing to the spread of [malaria] .This problem has been voiced by nobel laureate Wangari Maathai. The bags also produce toxic gases when burned. However, low income areas are the most affected with this issue. Interventions Under the "Nairobi City Council Tree Planting and Beautification Programme" solid waste has reduced in the CBD and other commercial areas. The NCC and private companies provide waste services to middle and high income neighborhoods and plastic bag litter is rarely visible in these areas. Low income areas, mainly in the slums, receive little or no waste collection services hence it is common to find plastic bag litter. In 2005 (NEMA) the Nairobi Environment Management Authority banned the manufacture of plastic bags under 30 microns.

Flying Toilets
"Scud missiles" or flying toilet is a common problem in the slum areas as they lack access to proper sanitation facilities and in cases where they are available lack of security at night has led to slum dwellers opting to defecate in plastic bags out of fear of being mugged or raped.

Organic Wastes
Most of the organic wastes comes from restaurants and institutions such as hospitals and schools. Some of the waste is sold to farms that use it for animal feed and organic manure. This is not a widespread practice in the city and most organic waste is collected as ordinary waste.

Recycling
Nairobi lacks a formal recycling system however it has an informal recycling system which is evident at the Dandora dumpsite. Various waste pickers sift through the garbage and retrieve metals, plastics bottles and paper which are later sold to industries within the city. The recycling of materials such as plastics, newspapers and bottles is a common practice.

E-Waste
There is no official record or statement of e-waste. However, there is a growing concern that it could soon become a problem due to donation of old computers without a system in place to dispose them.