Waste management technology provider Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) has revealed its entrance into the Kenyan market.
The company, which is based in Zurich, is setting up shop in the country in collaboration with Sintmond Group Limited.
According to a statement announcing the move, the company will see the development of local waste management plants as a long-term solution for recycling waste into Electricity and Fuel.
The development is also key because waste management has since been devolved in the Kenya constitution.
Specifically, county governments have the lead role in delivering sustainable waste management services.
So far, Nairobi County plans to set up its first garbage-powered electricity plant in Ruai.
The country also produces more than 5000 metric tons of waste per day, most of it going to the Dandora dumpsite that has been full for years.
The site was officially opened in 1975 and was considered full back in 2001.
Kenya generates an estimated 22,000 tons of waste per day translating to 8 million tonnes annually.
40 percent of this waste is generated in urban areas; with urbanization growing by 10 percent annually, the country’s urban population will be generating an estimated 5.5million tonnes of waste every year by 2030.
It is estimated that 60 to 70 percent of waste generated is organic, 20 percent plastic, 10 percent paper, 1 percent medical waste, and 2 percent metal.
Quotes
“Africa is currently recycling only 4 percent of its waste, a far cry from the African Union vision that African cities will be recycling at least 50 percent of the waste they generate by 2023. The first priority for Africa is to address the public health imperative, by ensuring that all citizens have access to proper waste management services. Comprehensive, reliable, and regular city cleansing and controlled disposal of waste is the foundation of every integrated waste management system,” says HZI Emerging Markets Senior Sales Director Urs Altenburger.
“We are ready to help counties deal with their waste management, through our Waste-to-Energy (WtE) technologies. Waste being one of the contributors to greenhouse gases affects climate change. Improper management of waste disposal ultimately hinders the achievement of sustainable development,” said Sintmond Group Limited, CEO Richmond Gatu.
