County governments have been challenged to invest in technologies that convert solid waste into energy and fuel.
Infrastructure and Housing Cabinet Secretary James Macharia says generation of power from waste has the potential to reduce environmental degradation as well as create job opportunities.
Speaking at the Nakuru Njoro Sewerage Treatment works during celebrations to mark this year’s UN Habitat Day, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary James Macharia noted that rapid urbanization, improved economic situation and industrialization had seen solid waste management become one of the greatest challenges facing major urban centers in Kenya.
He says counties should urgently exploit the energy potential of waste through available waste-to-energy technologies and also a strategic action plan for the implementation of these technologies.
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The CS says 85 percent of the waste generated in Kenyan urban centers is from domestic homes. The country now needs prudent environment conservation strategies that will also offer employment opportunities.
Nakuru governor Lee Kinyanjui said every ton of briquettes recycled from human waste had the potential to save 88 trees.
Nairobi, Kisumu, Thika, Nakuru, Mombasa and Eldoret towns generate about 6,000 tones of waste daily with a third of this waste remaining uncollected.