Colour-coded bins to ensure you bin it right

The government is set to unveil a national colour-coding scheme for waste management.

The move emphasises the importance of proper waste segregation in the latest bid to enhance environmental sustainability.

Environmental Management and Coordination (Waste Management) regulations, 2024 document has a guide on management of waste from generators to disposal sites.

The regulations introduce colour coding for different waste streams.

The colour is set to be launched during the upcoming World Environment Day on June 5, whose theme is Ending Plastic Pollution.

The colour for organic waste is green, while the one for general waste is black and blue is for recyclable waste.

Already, the state has enacted the Sustainable Waste Management Act 2022, which established the legal and institutional framework for sustainable management of waste, ensuring the realisation of the constitutional provision on the right to a clean and healthy environment and for connected purposes.

 The Act seeks to transition the country into a circular economy as opposed to a linear one.

 A person who contravenes a provision of the Act for which a penalty has not been prescribed shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine of not less than two million shillings and not more than four million shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding four years or both.

 “The waste management regulations task waste generators to collect, segregate and dispose of waste in an appropriate manner,” the document says.

 In the discharge of their responsibility, generators will minimise waste by adopting cleaner production methods.

 A waste generator will segregate waste by separating hazardous waste from non-hazardous waste, segregating non-hazardous waste into organic and non-organic fractions.

 The waste segregated will be placed in clearly labelled and colour-coded receptacles, bins, containers and bags.

 Any waste segregated in accordance with the regulation will be disposed of at an appropriate disposal site.

 Service providers will collect, handle and transport segregated waste as provided for under the regulation.

Transporting waste without a valid licence issued by Nema is illegal and an application for a licence to transport waste shall be made to the authority.

 Application for a licence/permit for transportation of waste costs Sh5,000, while owning/operating a waste storage, processing, treatment plant and disposal site costs Sh5,000.

 A licence to export waste costs Sh5,000, while a licence/permit to transport waste costs Sh10,000.

 Owning/operating a waste storage and processing plant/site costs Sh80,000. Owning/operating a waste treatment plant and disposal plant/site costs Sh100,000, while exporting waste is Sh50,000 per consignment.

 Meanwhile, a new survey has shown that Mombasa and Nakuru counties had the most efficient solid waste collection systems last year.

 The Economic Survey 2025, which was released on Tuesday by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that Mombasa had 62.1 per cent of waste generated getting collected, while Nakuru had 59.3 per cent.

 “Proper collection of solid waste is vital for protecting public health and the environment by preventing pollution and reducing the spread of diseases.”

 The survey shows that Mombasa generated 914.0 tonnes of solid waste in 2020, 920 in 2021, 1,000 in 2022, 1,200 in 2023 and 1,047 tonnes last year.

 The county collected 420 tonnes in 2020, 520 in 2021, 650 in 2022, 700 tonnes in 2023 and 650 tonnes last year.

 Nakuru generated 383.3 tonnes in 2022, 400 in 2023 and 540 last year.

 The county had 230 tonnes in 2022, 240 tonnes in 2023 and 320 tonnes in 2024, while data for 2020 and 2021 is missing.

The survey shows that Nairobi county generated 876 tonnes of solid waste in 2020, 1,095 tonnes in 2021, 1,095 tonnes in 2022, 1,191.5 tonnes in 2023 and 1,139.2 tonnes last year.

 Kisumu generated 216.5 tonnes in 2020, 220.3 in 2021, 224 in 2022, 227.9 in 2023 and 231.6 tonnes last year.

 However, the county collected 65 tonnes in 2020, 66 in 2021, 67.2 in 2022, 68.4 in 2023 and 69.4 tonnes last year.

 Uasin Gishu generated 226 tonnes in 2022, 230 in 2023 and 235 tonnes last year.

 The county managed to collect 22.8 tonnes in 2022, 29.7 tonnes in 2023 and 34.2 tonnes last year.