How Ghana’s Waste Revolution Offers a Blueprint for Kenya
A delegation of Kenyan journalists, environmental scientists, and environmental advocates recently undertook a verification visit to facilities operated by Zoomlion Ghana Limited in Accra. The visit comes at a pivotal moment, as Kenya explores innovative partnerships to address its growing waste crisis, particularly in Nairobi’s Dandora area.
The Dandora Dumpsite, established in the late 1970s, was originally designed as a controlled landfill. Over time, however, it has evolved into an open dumping ground that receives thousands of tonnes of waste daily. For decades, it has stood as a stark symbol of the systemic challenges facing urban waste management in Kenya.
Despite numerous policy commitments, rehabilitation plans, and even court directives calling for its closure or transformation, little meaningful progress has been sustained. Communities living around the dumpsite continue to bear the burden of toxic exposure, air pollution, and unsafe working conditions. Informal waste pickers, who depend on the site for their livelihoods, operate in highly hazardous environments with minimal protection or recognition.
Kenya has established a robust legal and institutional framework to manage waste. The Sustainable Waste Management Act 2022 introduced a comprehensive approach that emphasizes waste segregation at source, recycling, and extended producer responsibility. This is complemented by the Environmental Management and Coordination Act, which provides overarching environmental safeguards and regulatory oversight, while the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) is mandated to enforce compliance. County governments, on the other hand, carry the responsibility for operational waste management.
However, the challenge has not been the absence of policy, but rather the gap between legislation and implementation. Limited infrastructure, and low public awareness have slowed progress. At the same time, the informal sector, which plays a crucial role in recycling and waste recovery, remains largely excluded from formal systems, leaving workers vulnerable and undervalued.
A major concern among sections of the Kenyan public has been the perception that Zoomlion’s entry into the sector would displace existing workers. However, the company clarified that its role is not to replace local actors, but to strengthen and modernize existing systems by working alongside them. Their approach focuses on enhancing efficiency, improving safety standards, and expanding opportunities across the waste value chain. By introducing structured systems, appropriate technology, and safer working conditions, the model seeks to elevate the role of waste workers, formalize their contributions, and create more sustainable livelihoods while improving overall waste management outcomes.
From Waste to Resource: Lessons from Ghana
Established in 2006 as part of the Jospong Group of Companies, Zoomlion operates across all 16 regions of Ghana, delivering integrated waste management services that span collection, recycling, treatment, and recovery.
The delegation first visited a transfer centre that had been developed on what was previously a landfill. The transformation was striking. What once functioned as an uncontrolled dumping site has been converted into a clean, organized waste collection hub. Youth who previously worked as informal waste collectors now operate within a safer and more structured system. The introduction of motorized carts has eased the burden of collection, improved efficiency, and significantly reduced health risks. The site now represents not just environmental improvement, but also a restoration of dignity for those working within the sector.
The visit then proceeded to the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant, where the full lifecycle of waste transformation was observed. Waste arriving at the facility is systematically sorted into different streams, including plastics, paper, and organic material. Organic waste is processed into compost, which is used to support agriculture, while plastics are converted into pellets that feed into manufacturing industries, producing items such as car carpets, shoe soles, and packaging materials. Residual waste is further processed for potential energy generation, demonstrating a circular approach where little is left unused.
Speaking to the Managing Director of Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP) Mr. Michael Padi-Tuwor, he explained that the facility is designed to ensure that waste is not discarded, but reintegrated into the economy through recycling and recovery processes. He noted that for solid waste, materials are processed and returned into productive use, forming part of a broader circular system. He further highlighted that the company operates an extensive infrastructure network, comprising 36 facilities in total, including 18 material recovery and solid waste treatment plants, six liquid waste treatment plants, five transfer stations, and five medical waste treatment facilities. These facilities collectively support a comprehensive and integrated waste management system.
Barnabas Ampaw, Head of Quality Control at the facility explained that laboratory analysis plays a critical role in determining composting protocols. Initial tests identify contamination levels and microbial composition, guiding how materials are treated. During decomposition, both beneficial and harmful microorganisms are present, but as temperatures rise through the thermal phase, harmful organisms are significantly reduced. The final compost meets strict safety standards, ensuring it is suitable for agricultural use. In scientific terms, approximately, one tonne of mixed municipal solid waste (MSW), between 50 to 200 litres of microbial inoculant may be introduced to accelerate decomposition. For instance, if initial contamination levels such as heavy metals or harmful compounds are measured at around 25 mg per kilogram, the controlled composting process can reduce this significantly to approximately 0.5 mg per kilogram. By the time mature compost is produced, microbial levels are stabilized, with any remaining harmful organisms reduced to minimal and safe thresholds, typically below 1,000 mg per kilogram, in line with laboratory standards.
The impact of this model extends far beyond sanitation. It has created over 200,000 jobs, both formal and informal, contributing to poverty reduction and economic inclusion. Farmers now have access to organic compost, reducing reliance on imported chemical fertilizers and enhancing soil health and food production. At the same time, recycling initiatives have stimulated local manufacturing, while waste-to-energy processes offer potential solutions to power generation challenges.
These outcomes demonstrate how waste management, when approached as a value chain rather than a disposal problem, can drive economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social transformation simultaneously.
One of the most compelling moments of the visit was the transformation of a former landfill that had previously experienced fires due to hazardous waste accumulation. The surrounding community had suffered from pollution and environmental degradation. Today, that same space has been rehabilitated into a green public park, offering a powerful visual of what is possible when sustainable waste management practices are applied.
According to Mr. Alphonce Muia, an Environmental scientist and policy expert , Jospong Group’s integrated waste infrastructure in Ghana, presents the speed and scale prerequisites for contemporary waste crisis that have converted Kenya’s critical segments of urban set ups into big piles of filth. He further stated that Kenya can no longer afford fragmented approaches. Nairobi’s rapidly growing population makes these interventions an urgent imperative. “The transformation we’ve seen here in Ghana from scientific approaches to livelihoods formalization and dignification delivers precisely the kind of integrated environmental, social, health, and economic benefits we need to replicate for Dandora and beyond.” states Alphonce.
A Turning Point for Kenya
Kenya now stands at a critical juncture. While the country has made commendable progress in developing policies, the next step requires translating these frameworks into tangible action. The experience in Ghana illustrates that waste can be transformed into a resource, that informal workers can be integrated into formal systems with dignity, and that science and technology are essential in scaling sustainable solutions.
The question facing Kenya is no longer whether change is needed, but how boldly it is willing to pursue it. With the right mix of policy enforcement, public awareness, infrastructure investment, and strategic partnerships, Dandora can be transformed from a symbol of crisis into a model of innovation.
A future without waste is not merely an aspiration. It is a deliberate choice one that requires commitment, collaboration, and a reimagining of waste as a driver of opportunity, dignity, and sustainable development.
SNIPPETS OF THE TRANSFORMATION BELOW
