Residents of Likoni and Mvita sub-counties in Mombasa County are set to benefit from a waste collection and maintenance project by the County Government through the Department of Environment and Solid Waste Management.

Clean Oceans Project Identification and Preparation (COPIP) is a pilot project funded by European Investment Bank (EIB) in partnership with the Department of Environment and Governance that involves collection of separated waste.

At least 800 households in the selected areas have been identified to segregate waste using three bins to separate dry, wet and hazardous waste.

During the launch, protective gear (gloves, masks, and safety boots), 3-bins, bin liners, and electric tuk-tuk were handed over to youths and women in waste management groups to empower them and also promote ease of movement and transfer of waste.

The project will promote a recycling culture, boost circular economy and reduce the volume of waste transferred to Mwakirunge dumpsite, a major dumpsite in Mombasa.

Addressing
the media after the launch, Chief Officer Department of Environment and Governance Pauline Oginga said that the project is a major step towards ensuring they reduce, recycle and reuse waste through waste segregation.

She said the county government left 56 percent of waste at Mwakirunge dumpsite and this cost around Sh550,000 per day.

‘If we reduce this waste through segregation it means that we will only take 5 percent of waste to Mwakirunge which we are trying to turn into a sanitary landfill. The volume of waste that goes there is something that can be re-used in the economy for self-employment and ensure that food security is enhanced as people will get money to buy food,’ she said.

She added that in partnership with WWF, the county government has had sensitization for households and waste managers with WWF procuring bins, bin bags and electrical tuktuks to reduce carbon emissions.

‘When the project kicks off, there is also a behaviour change that we are going to see. The habit of mixing waste end up p
olluting the environment so if we go this direction, those that are dealing with segregated waste will have an easy way of accessing this product for recycling and the county will save money on ferrying waste to the dumpsite and the same will be redirected for development,’ she added.

WWF Head of People and Culture Bernard Tonga said that there is a need to address the problem of waste management in the country, thus the start of the pilot project to see the behavior of the people in terms of managing their waste.

Tonga said they have identified 800 households which they are training and are going to pilot the project since it’s a new one and see how it is going to work and be able to scale it to other parts of the county.

‘For us to have sustainable waste management, we have to start from the source. We need to segregate the waste from the source to reduce the stress that usually takes place at the dumpsite. A lot of training has been done to the waste managers to ensure its success,’ he said.

He noted t
hat the problem in waste management has necessitated the need for the project as it’s evident during heavy rains where the county experiences flooding.

Tonga said they have donated bins for solid waste, wet waste, and for the waste that they currently do not have the technology to recycle, bin bags and electric tuktuks to show their commitment in terms of environment conservation.

Tonga said Sh8.7million was spent for the pilot project, with only 800 households to benefit but for sustainability, the county government will be taking up and moving forward to ensure it is sustainable.

Source: Kenya News Agency