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Article•01/09/2026

Your business waste is worth money. The circular economy will teach you how

Here are 3 concrete ways to monetise what you throw away:


♻️ 1. Your organic waste is worth money (really)

  • In Nairobi, 70% of municipal waste is organic . Turn it into compost or fertiliser. Zoomlion Kenya already converts the capital's waste into affordable fertiliser .
  • Shamba Connect, a Kenyan SME, went from 12% to over 50% waste valorisation (rabbit manure, plant residues) by turning it into fertiliser and compost . Result: new product lines and extra revenue.
  • Agricultural waste (banana stems, pineapple leaves, fish) can become fibre, biogas, or insect protein .


🔄 2. Your packaging and plastics: an overlooked goldmine

  • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) now requires manufacturers to manage their products' full lifecycle . You can become their recycling partner.
  • Initiatives like Flipflopi in Lamu turn landfill plastics into high-end furniture, reducing buried waste by 70% .
  • Start-ups like M-taka collect, digitise, and pay for waste as a raw material .


💡 3. Your unsold goods and offcuts: a resource to valorise

  • Unsold products, production offcuts, end-of-line items... can be reused, refurbished, or transformed.
  • GreenBay, a Kenyan company, sold 413 refurbished appliances in 7 months for KES 7.2 million, diverting 11 tonnes of e-waste from landfills .
  • The recycling sector could generate USD 700 million by 2030 and contribute 0.5% to Kenya's GDP .


Tip: The Sustainable Waste Management Act 2022 and EPR regulations 2024 create a favourable framework. NEMA encourages private investment in recycling value chains .


Do it now: Identify 3 types of waste you produce daily. Research who might buy or process them. Contact a local recycler or a start-up like TakaTaka Ni Mali. One hour of research could unlock a new income stream.


Sources: Invest Kenya – Waste Management and Circular Economy Investment Prospectus 2026; African Food Changemakers – BRACE Programme 2026; NEMA – Sustainable Waste Management Act 2022 & EPR Regulations 2024; Systemiq – Kenya Circular Economy Report 2026.


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