After months of trying to stop it the easy way, Kenyan government officials have decided to crack down hard on illegal waste disposal, according to Tuko. Recently, an operation led by Geoffrey Mosiria, Nairobi county's chief officer for the environment, arrested 10 individuals associated with flouting waste disposal guidelines.
Per Mosiria, these individuals primarily discard trash by simply dumping it on the side of the road, largely to avoid paying garbage collectors or other law-abiding services.
"In our efforts to keep Nairobi clean, I have come to the realization that sensitization, engagement, and continuous advisories on proper waste management are not yielding the desired results. What will work more effectively is strict enforcement," he added, per Tuko.
Proper waste management may be annoying and perhaps even expensive if you don't have the financial resources. But what's worse is the potential consequences of illegal and improper garbage dumping, not just for your own pocketbook, but for the environment in general.
If left unattended somewhere like the side of a road, the chemicals produced by waste materials — specifically items made of nonbiodegradable materials like plastic — will seep into the surrounding air and soil, polluting and poisoning it.
What's particularly frustrating about this trend in Kenya is that, in addition to it being fundamentally necessary, efficient and sustainable waste disposal is getting easier. Restaurants are implementing new environmentally-friendly strategies that shrink the amount of waste they send to landfills, and waste management companies are upgrading their facilities to become greener. Perhaps those solutions haven't reached rural Africa yet, but they'll likely be coming in the next several years.
Suffice it to say, if you don't have the resources to follow the laws properly, the next best solution is to reach out to the proper authorities and alert them to your situation. The stakes are high enough on this issue that they will likely find a compromise solution that doesn't unduly burden you financially.
"We shall sustain this exercise until full compliance is achieved," Mosiria stated, per Tuko. "Enforcement is not meant to punish but to protect the health, dignity, and cleanliness of our city. I will personally camp along Jogoo Road for the next one week to ensure this menace is fully addressed and compliance is achieved."
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