NAIROBI, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Wednesday said that the adoption of a circular economy by manufacturers and consumers is reducing the amount of waste generated in the country.
Festus Ng'eno, the principal secretary in the State Department of Environment and Climate Change, said that the country generated an average of 8 million tonnes of waste in 2023 but the figure is declining because the circular economy encourages the reduction of waste as a result of recycling.
"The circular economy is the answer to the big challenge posed by solid waste in Kenya," Ng'eno said during the second edition of the Loop Forum Kenya that was organized by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM).
He disclosed that 60 percent of the country's waste is organic, while 30 percent is recyclable.
The Kenyan official added that the country's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations require manufacturers, importers, and donors to introduce products and packaging into the Kenyan market to facilitate the reuse, recycling, and recovery of waste.
Joyce Njogu, head of consulting and business development at KAM, said that the bulk of waste produced in the country is the useful raw material for many economic activities that can generate income for communities and revenue for Kenya.
Njogu added that the government and private sector have developed a framework of cooperation to reduce plastic waste in the environment through collection and recycling.
