Toxic fumes, child labour at dumpsites push call for responsible waste management
By K24 Digital Reporter, November 2, 2025Waste recycling companies have been urged to invest heavily in responsible waste management initiatives that will effectively maximise waste recovery and minimise their ecological footprint.
Speaking during the Malindi Monthly Clean-Up exercise, Cate Mwikali, Chairperson of the Progressive Welfare Association of Malindi (PWAM), emphasised the need for companies to take a leading role in developing modern waste management solutions, especially to support communities whose livelihoods depend on recycling.
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“We are here today with the dumpsite dwellers who are the primary waste segregators at the Malindi Dumpsite. We already understand the types of waste being dumped there, but as we walked through the streets, we also discovered that the community lacks proper knowledge on waste segregation,” she said.
Cate noted that the dumpsite plays a critical role not only in the waste management chain but also as a source of livelihood for many families.
However, during an earlier visit to the site, the situation was dire; thick smoke filled the air from burning biomedical and household waste, exposing residents, including children, to toxic fumes.
Many of the children had dropped out of school, battling illnesses caused by inhaling contaminated air, all in an effort to earn a living from recyclable waste.
“This practice is not only hazardous, it is life-threatening,” Cate lamented.
Through PWAM’s initiative, the community has now been empowered to form a Community-Based Organisation (CBO) where they can receive training and incentives to adopt proper waste management practices.
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These include segregation at the source, sorting waste without burning, and safely extracting recyclables like metals.
Effie Opiyo, Chairperson of Malindi Green and Blue CBO, reinforced the need to educate the community on shared responsibility.
“As much as a clean and healthy environment is a constitutional right, it is also our moral obligation to ensure the spaces we inhabit are clean. With proper waste management mechanisms such as segregation, waste can become a valuable resource that brings financial benefits to the community,” she stated.
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Thomas Nyanje Masha, a waste collector at the Malindi dumpsite and one of the beneficiaries of the training, shared the community’s progress: “We’ve been trained on proper waste management including how to separate waste for recycling. This has helped us earn a decent income, and many of our families now rely on these efforts for survival.”
With the right investments, training, and community engagement, waste management can shift from being a public health hazard to driving sustainable livelihoods.