Kirinyaga County's new waste management system to help fight global warming

In the face of escalating climate change concerns, the County Government of Kirinyaga has adopted a new and more responsible waste management practice that seeks to mitigate against climate change.

The county seeks to reduce the production of greenhouse gases by decreasing the amount of waste being taken to landfills.

Environmental experts say landfills, often regarded as the end destination for urban waste contribute significantly to climate change. Organic waste in landfills decomposes anaerobically, producing methane—a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.

To reduce the amount of waste being taken to landfills, Governor Anne Waiguru says the County Government has introduced a new waste management system where waste bins are marked “Organic and Non-organic” with the   aim of helping in the separation of waste from the market.

By separating the waste, Governor Waiguru says the organic waste like cabbages, and tomatoes among others is being collected by pig farmers under the Wezesha empowerment program to feed their animals while waste like plastics and paper bags are being put in the non-organic bins for recycling.

She said the new waste management practices will help mitigate environmental impact and contribute to a healthier planet.

By adopting responsible waste management practices, such as increased recycling and reduced landfill dependence, Waiguru says the county hopes to minimize methane emissions and curb their impact on global warming.

The Governor says a total of 44 skips have been acquired and placed in urban centres to help in collection of garbage.

“We have also placed marked waste bins with the aim of separating waste from the market. The bins that are marked organic will be used for dumping the organic waste which will then be collected by our farmers to feed their animals,” she said.

Governor Waiguru said the county has also acquired two garbage trucks, one backhoe and one skip loader to enhance garbage collection.

The COG chair said her administration is at the forefront of embracing climate-resilient programmes that aim at mitigating the effects of climate change.

She said the rising population, expansion of towns, and increased number of businesses mainly being driven by a vibrant agricultural economy, has resulted in increased residential and commercial waste in urban centres that requires a proper disposal system.

Waiguru further said her administration had also put in place the necessary legal and policy framework to enable the implementation of climate change and environmental interventions.

County Executive Committee (CEC) Member for Environment, Energy, Climate Change, Natural Resource, Water and Irrigation James Mutugi, emphasized the importance of a well-managed garbage system in reducing risks and hazards, thereby improving the health and well-being of residents.

"A well-managed garbage system reduces so many risks and hazards that actually improves the health and well-being of the people. If we allow garbage to flow or garbage effluents to flow into the river, we end up having poison draining into the river that harms people and creatures living in water," he said.

"We are encouraging people first to select the type of waste because waste selection is very important. It guides into what garbage gets where, which can be recycled or reused and which ones can be disposed of," he added.

Some of the major towns that have gotten additional skips include; Kerugoya, Kutus, Kagio, Sagana and Wanguru among others.

Traders in the towns say the initiative will help keep the urban centres clean thus improving the business environment.

Christine Muthoni, a trader at Kerugoya town said that over the last five years, the town has become cleaner and with the placement of more garbage skips, members of the public have no reason to litter the streets.

“We had been plagued by a garbage problem for decades, traders used to dump waste by the roadsides and waterways, market vendors lacked a proper waste management mechanism. With the introduction of the garbage skips, illegal dumpsites have become a thing of the past,” said Muthoni.

Residents said additional skips will also help address the stray dog menace in the towns.

“Initially, dumping of waste was done everywhere, this led to uncleanliness in the surrounding areas and there were so many stray dogs around the dumping sites. Now, we are happy that we have received garbage skips to drop our domestic waste in one area,” said Fridah Wanjiku, another resident of Kerugoya town.

Apart from investing in garbage skips and collection equipment, the county government has employees dedicated to ensuring the towns and markets are cleaned.

“We are grateful to the County Government for providing additional garbage skip in this area. The surrounding environment was filthy because residents were dumping waste by the roadside. As Sagana residents, we are relieved that the neighbourhood will no longer stink,” Millicent Mwangi, a resident of Sagana town added.