On 4^th March 2022, KEPSA CEO Carole Kariuki joined Mr. Keriako Tobiko, EGH, SC; the Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Mrs. Lea Wermelin, Denmark Minister for Environment and Mrs. Inger Andersen UNEP Executive Director in the launch of the Sustainable Waste Management Policy, and the National Marine Litter Management Action Plan in an event held at the UN Headquarters in Nairobi.

Also present in the meeting was H.E Maj (Rtd) Dr. Dhadho Godhana Governor, Tana River County & Chair, Security and Foreign Affairs Committee of the CoG, Dr. Chris Kiptoo, CBS, PS Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Mr. Mamo B Mamo EBS, Director General NEMA, Mr. Mucai Kunyiha, KAM Chairperson, Ms. Karin Boomsma SIB Project Director, Mr. Jackson Kiplagat Head of Conservation Programmes – WWF Kenya, Ms. Sheila AggarwalKhan Director, Economy Division, UNEP, Dr. Benjamin Kinyili, ICFS, Kenya Forest Service, Mrs. Patricia Akinyi K’Omudho Chief Environment Officer, Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) among other delegates.

CS Keriako Tobiko, who officiated the event, said the launch of the Kenya National Sustainable Waste Management Policy and the National Marine Litter Action Plan demonstrates Kenya’s commitment to transitioning into a circular economy.

“Today’s launch underscores the importance of partnership and cooperation in finding solutions in Kenya’s sustainable plastics management and green recovery in line with the UNEA 5.2 resolution to establish a global agreement on ending plastic pollution through a legally binding instrument for sustainable development,” said Tobiko.

Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director, noted that under the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal number 12 – Sustainable Consumption and Production – if all product quantities adopted circularity, it would potentially unlock USD 4.5 trillion in economic growth and the creation of millions of jobs globally.

“When we design and produce with circularity in mind, we can get so much good for business and society. We take from the earth’s finite resources, which we can never take back when we make something new out of them. This is a question of foresight and insight. We, therefore, need to reduce, reuse, recycle, and refuse because you don’t need a plastic bag to carry the five tomatoes home from the supermarket 1000 times and then discard it at the landfill after every single use. We can get a cloth bag and reuse it 1,000 times instead,” she said.

On her part, the KEPSA CEO Ms. Kariuki spoke on the topic ‘Rethinking Business and Private Sector Case Studies towards Circular Economy’. Calling upon the national and county governments to enhance awareness of waste categories and enforce waste collection at source in the country, she urged the removal of Cess charges on waste material being transported back to the producer to make it conducive for take-back schemes.

“The fees and levies on waste materials make it an expensive endeavor, with disposal being the preferred option. The sector financing mechanisms should be enhanced to grow more professional services and infrastructure development, such as material recovery facilities for sustainable waste management,” she said, adding that Kenya can transform the waste sector to be a major contributor to the socio-economic recovery and growth of Kenya’s GDP at both the national and county levels.

While outlining KEPSA’s contribution to the sustainable and inclusive business practices debate, Kariuki said private sector investment has gradually expanded in waste collection, transportation, sorting at material recovery facilities, recycling, as well as the production of marketable products from recovered materials. Examples, she said, include Safaricom, which has reduced the size of SIM cards and removed over 200,000 single-use plastic pieces across the business value chain and aspires to go SIMless by 2030. The Coca-Cola Company, through its world without waste initiative, has redesigned the colour of its green Sprite bottle to a clear bottle to make it possible to increase the recycling rate of PET bottles.

Under KEPSA, the Sustainable Inclusive Business Kenya (SIB-K) program has also successfully implemented the Creating Opportunities and Alleviating Poverty through Sustainable Trade (COAST) Project. More than 200 women and youth have been trained in creating value from waste, financial literacy, and entrepreneurial skills. Thirteen business cases have been developed and awarded seed funding from the project with project linkages between the private sector and the beneficiaries to create value from waste.

In line with the Ministerial Stakeholder Forum Resolution of August 2019, the private sector has worked closely with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in developing Mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations that will lead to the establishment of take-back schemes, enhance the lifecycle approach to natural resources management and the creation of traceability systems for products and packaging under the EPR framework. Kenya will be the second country after South Africa to implement mandatory EPR compliance schemes for key products such as electronic waste, packaging, oils, and lubricants, among others.

This is in addition to the Kenya Plastics Pact (KPP) launched in 2021, which is a collaborative multi-stakeholder platform established in Kenya and being implemented under SIB-K. Thirty-two members and supporters have already signed up to the pact based on the global Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy model of elimination, innovation, and circulation to help Kenya transition from a linear to a circular economy. Kariuki called on more private sector members to join the Pact, and together create a circular economy for plastics, where it never becomes waste.

The Sustainable Waste Management Policy and Bill, developed by the private sector in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, are instrumental in redefining waste, promoting separation at source, and ensuring the end-to-end circulation of materials in the Kenyan economy. The policy and the bill aim to ensure the re-use of 95% of materials, products, and packaging injected into the economy, with only 5% to be disposed of in a sanitary landfill.

The aim of the side event was:

1. Exploring global and Kenya’s policy landscape supporting the transition to a circular economy.
2. Sharing public and private sector commitment and best practices in transition to a circular economy.
3. Sharing global synergies in pursuit of the circular economy between Kenya and development partners.
4. Expanding the number of endorsees to the circular economy.

Themed ‘Transition from linear to a circular economy in Kenya’ the event was held on the sidelines of the resumed in-person fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in commemoration of the UNEP@50 celebrations.