{"id":632517,"date":"2026-09-22T14:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T14:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/632517\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T14:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T14:32:12","slug":"recycling-boom-forcing-kenyas-waste-pickers-to-fight-for-their-future-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/632517\/","title":{"rendered":"Recycling boom forcing Kenya\u2019s waste pickers to fight for their future \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marabou storks circle the smoke-filled sky as a 12-year-old boy returns from the top of a hill of smouldering waste carrying plastic sheets he gathered at Dandora, a sprawling 30-acre dumpsite in the eastern suburbs of Nairobi. <\/p>\n

An estimated 2,000 tonnes of waste arrive at the Dandora dumpsite in Kenya every day, where it is sorted by local waste collectors. Video: Hannah McCarthy <\/p>\n

Casey says that for the past six years he has spent most afternoons foraging through waste after finishing classes at a local primary school that shares a crumbling wall with Kenya<\/a>\u2019s largest dumpsite. <\/p>\n

Receiving nearly 2,000 tonnes of domestic and industrial waste every day, Dandora sits at the epicentre of a fragile local economy that sustains an estimated 300,000 people living around the dumpsite. <\/p>\n

The UN estimates that 20 million people around the world rely on collecting, sorting and selling waste for their incomey. At the top of one of Dandora\u2019s rubbish-filled peaks, about a dozen people are sorting through fresh waste unloaded by a truck operated by a private waste company. <\/p>\n

Among the waste pickers are Peter (26), who started working in Dandora in 2020, and his 22-year-old cousin who has been working here since 2023. They typically work 10 hours a day from 7am, six days a week, for which they earn the equivalent of \u20ac4 a day. <\/p>\n

\"CaseyCasey spends most afternoons foraging through waste after finishing classes at a local primary school. Photograph: Hannah McCarthy \"PeterPeter has been working at the dumpsite for six years. Photograph: Hannah McCarthy <\/p>\n

Apart from a few workers wearing gloves and rubber boots, most waste collectors today are working without basic protective clothing or equipment for dealing with hazardous waste or the acrid and carcinogenic fumes from burning plastic. <\/p>\n

Near one of Dandora\u2019s entrances, a group of women gather for their lunch break beside large bags filled with waste such as glass bottles, scrap clothing, plastic and food containers, which they are sorting through. <\/p>\n

One 45-year-old woman introduces herself as \u201cqueen of the dumpsite\u201d \u2013 \u201cmy name is spelt \u2018Q-U-E-E-N\u201d. She is from neighbouring Korogocho and has worked at Dandora for 20 years. <\/p>\n

Beside her is Jane Wangechi (30), a single mother who has worked at the dump since she was a teenager. Wangechi\u2019s two children work alongside her at weekends.<\/p>\n

According to recent data<\/a> from the Strategic Sector Co-operation on circular economy and waste management between Denmark and Kenya, most waste pickers at Dandora have a primary-level education and care for an average of three or more children, often as single parents.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe \u2018queen of the dumpsite\u2019 and Jane Wangechi. Photograph: Hannah McCarthy <\/p>\n

Solomon Njoroge (36), became a waste picker at 14 when his single mother could no longer afford to pay for his school fees. <\/p>\n

No longer a waste picker, Njoroge is speaking in the Dandora office of his organisation Nairobi Recyclable Waste Welfare Association. <\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty years ago there were a lot of valuables in the dumpsite, but now segregation is done at source and less valuables come to the dumpsite,\u201d says Njoroge. \u201cMost of the waste, it is waste indeed … You cannot get much valuables in it.\u201d <\/p>\n

A combination of improved recycling technology and new regulations requiring manufacturers in Kenya to take more responsibility for the waste they produce, means that less valuable waste is arriving at Dandora for pickers to sort through and sell on to farmers, recycling aggregators and other private companies. <\/p>\n

\"ChildrenChildren in the Gitari Marigu neighbourhood next to the Dandora dump. Photograph: Hannah McCarthy <\/p>\n

Njoroge provided assistance for a 2025 study in which 86 of 100 pickers said their economic situation had worsened \u201cdue to increased competition, reduced recyclables from presorting, fewer truck arrivals and rising living costs\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people are losing their jobs,\u201d says Njoroge, who campaigns for better conditions for waste pickers in Dandora, which is owned by the Nairobi county council. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are also trying to mobilise as many members as we can, so that we can have a solid union,\u201d he says. \u201cAs a waste picker, you need to understand your role, your contribution, because many people look down on the work that you do dealing with waste.\u201d <\/p>\n

Waste pickers are routinely exposed to industrial and medical waste, which is illegally dumped at Dandora. Respiratory illnesses such as asthma and tuberculosis are rife among workers at the dumpsite, as well as skin infections and waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and typhoid. <\/p>\n

Njoroge says many of the workers are exposed to chemicals such as methane and lithium from batteries without understanding the risks they face from them. \u201cSome people die without knowing what has killed them,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"RespiratoryRespiratory illnesses are common among workers. Photograph: Hannah McCarthy <\/p>\n

One third of waste pickers are estimated to be members of associations or organisations that can support them. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important for waste collectors to be more organised because most of our jobs have been taken by cartels and well-organised individuals who have money and who know [that], in the waste management sector, there are a lot of opportunities,\u201d says Njoroge. \u201cIf we don\u2019t get organised, they will get organised … and we are going to be excluded for good.\u201d<\/p>\n

With support from the Danish government, Njoroge\u2019s organisation recently organised training for a cohort of waste collectors from Dandora on techniques to create products and compost from recycled waste. <\/p>\n

Njoroge is also eager to explore a more ambitious plan for a collective of local waste pickers to acquire their own land in Nairobi. With the right investment, Njoroge says these workers could manage their own waste collection activities and be involved in more valuableaspects of recycling and waste disposal. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not like we are just collecting for fun,\u201d says Njoroge. \u201cIt is a business … it can be improved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"simonsimon cumbers <\/p>\n

\u2013 Hannah McCarthy\u2019s reporting was supported by the Simon Cumbers Media Fund<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Marabou storks circle the smoke-filled sky as a 12-year-old boy returns from the top of a hill of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":632518,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[246,61,60,2142,82],"class_list":["post-632517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-kenya","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/632518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}