Kenya is advancing its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework under the Sustainable Waste Management Act, 2022.
This presents an opportunity to build a fair and inclusive waste management system. Waste pickers, who have supported recycling for years, must be at the centre of this transition.
EPR places responsibility for the full lifecycle of products on producers. If implemented effectively, it can reduce pollution, enhance accountability, and support national climate commitments.
It can also complement county development plans, including Nairobi’s CIDPs.
However, a serious concern has emerged in the current implementation. Large companies are allowed to establish their own Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs).
This gives polluters excessive influence in systems meant to regulate them.
When corporate-led PROs dominate, they often prioritise expensive technologies and controlled systems. These approaches ignore the contributions of waste pickers, aggregators, and small recyclers. As a result, long-standing community-led collection networks risk being pushed aside.
At the 10th Circular Economy Conference, inclusion was highlighted as a critical principle. Representatives from the Kenya Waste Pickers Association stressed the need for meaningful participation.
This reflects the core of climate justice: solutions must involve those most affected.
Kenya should consider strengthening community-led PROs. These would be run by cooperatives of waste pickers, small recyclers, and local enterprises.
This ensures EPR funds flow directly into communities already managing waste.
A just EPR system should formalise the informal sector by offering registration, recognition, and safe working conditions.
It should ensure that EPR fees directly support existing community collection systems instead of replacing them with costly corporate models.
And it should elevate community expertise, recognising their essential role in waste recovery and recycling.
Kenya’s EPR Regulations therefore require a clear and timely review. The framework must ensure PROs are transparent, independent, and inclusive.
It should also prioritise the integration of informal workers and invest in community-based waste management infrastructure.
A resilient circular economy will grow from the systems that already work. Waste pickers have supported Kenya’s recycling sector long before EPR came into effect, and their contribution must not be overlooked. The principle “nothing for us, without us” should guide all reforms.
Kenya now has the opportunity to create an EPR model that is fair, transparent, and community-driven.
This will advance environmental sustainability while promoting social justice and economic dignity.
