Kenyans without three dustbins to face imprisonment or KSh 20,000 fine

The Sustainable Waste Management Act, which requires every Kenyan household to have at least three dustbins for recycling waste, is now being implemented by the government.

According to the Act, garbage will be separated into three dustbins at the very least: dry waste, organic waste, and hazardous waste.

Six months imprisonment

According to the Act, Kenyans who disobey the three dustbins rules are guilty of an offense and face a maximum punishment of Ksh20,000, a maximum period of imprisonment of six months, or both, if they are found guilty.

The Act was required by a change in the nation’s economic model, according to James Odongo, Chief Administrative Officer at Kenya Extended Producer Responsibility Organization (KEPRO), who was speaking on TV47’s breakfast show ‘Morning Cafe’ on Tuesday.

Odongo described the change in the economy that led to the Sustainable Act as “we are trying to move away from a linear economy to a circular economy.”

Recycling garbage at the source

That can only be accomplished by establishing a recycling economy as a middleman.

Kenya cannot have a recycling economy, according to the head of KEPRO, if garbage is not recycled at the source, which are households.

Even though many manufacturing enterprises are already implementing the Act, it is difficult to access garbage that is both of high quality and quantity because the nation lacks practices that promote sustainable waste disposal.

"It's now going to be mandatory for everyone at the household level to separate waste into dry waste, organic waste, and hazardous waste. That will also extend to waste services providers,"- James Odongo, Chief Administrative Officer @kepro_ke #MorningCafe pic.twitter.com/MkugtI2jyy
— TV47 (@tv47news) October 3, 2023

Functions of the three dustbins

Every household will now be required to separate waste into a minimal minimum of dry waste, organic waste, and hazardous waste. The Act specifies that this includes garbage service providers as well.

The Act mandates that only authorized trash service providers or designated collection places may receive Kenyans’ collected rubbish.

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The development, management, and upkeep of approved disposal sites and landfills is the exclusive responsibility of county governments.

The county governments must also keep a registration of all businesses offering rubbish removal services within their borders.