From November 2016 to May 2018, together with its project partner TakaTaka Solutions, myclimate carried out a project supported by the federal government on the improvement of resource efficiency in the area of waste management in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi. The mission of the company, which has existed since 2001, is to offer affordable, environmentally friendly waste disposal services for all income levels. In the course of the project, the operational efficiency was to be improved and the range of services offered by TakaTaka Solutions was to be expanded to include sustainability assessments.
During the project, myclimate carried out life cycle assessments of over 40 waste groups and analysed the impact of recycling and composting on the climate and environment. The ecological advantages of organised composting compared to the random dumping of biological waste were also revealed, and the importance of recycling activities on the road to a recycling economy was emphasised.
Waste and recycling reports for major customers
This assessment forms the basis for detailed waste and recycling reports, which TakaTaka Solutions can now send to its business customers each month, thanks to the analysis carried out by myclimate. These reports not only provide information about the volumes of waste produced and the recycling rates achieved, but also show the originators, which waste groups are the most damaging to the environment and how much greenhouse gas can be avoided through recycling and composting. The CO₂ savings made by the individual companies are illustrated graphically in the form of the area of forest saved (in the number of football pitches) as well as the equivalent car mileage saved. The reports are an important instrument to make waste producers aware of the environmental impacts of waste and to motivate them to implement measures to avoid waste.
Activity improvements in figures:
• The processing time for composting has been reduced from 8 to 4 months.
• Waste sorting capacities have increased from 600kg to 800kg per worker per day.
• Waste sorting requires less space. 24 tonnes of waste can now be processed per acre (0.4 hectares) instead of 16 tonnes.
• The volume of waste collected has increased from 15 tonnes to 41 tonnes per day.
• The number of households served has almost doubled from 12,000 to 21,450. 80% of these households are in low-income areas.
• The number of business customers has increased from 10 to 42.
• The number of people employed at TakaTaka has increased from 100 to 185.
• 21 business customers now receive a waste and recycling report.