infrahub.africa

Background

Daniel Paffenholz and co-founders started TakaTaka Solutions to provide waste collection and management services. He was inspired by his observations of the unsanitary manner in which waste was managed in Mombasa, where he grew up. In Kenya, generally, the most common way of managing urban waste is landfilling. Given that waste is a resource and landfill space is scarce, sustainable waste management practices are crucial, especially in the context of increasing urban populations and the need for more environmental protection. Initially, TakaTaka purchased waste from informal youth-run waste collection groups with a focus on low-income areas. However, this model did not work for a few reasons including the inconsistent quality of materials received. TakaTaka now operates as a waste collection enterprise that provides services to households and institutional clients.

‍

Approach

TakaTaka is a waste collection company that, for a fee, provides end-to-end waste management services to residences and commercial enterprises such as malls. Waste pickers also sell their recyclables to TakaTaka. After waste is collected, it is sorted and categorised into 40 categories including styrofoam, paper, and plastics. The sorted waste is compacted, stored and then transported for further processing by third-party recyclers. For organic waste, some is sold to pig farmers, and the rest is converted into compost at TakaTaka’s plant. Plastic is converted into pellets on-site and then sold to industry. Metals, paper and glass are also sold to industry, and incineration is reserved for hazardous and medical waste. TakaTaka’s in-house recycling and processing infrastructure recycles 95% of the waste they receive. The range of waste types that they can receive makes them a “one-stop shop” for clients, and an attractive alternative to dealing with different organisations for different waste streams.

‍

Environmental Impact

The company has invested in equipment to recycle difficult-to-recycle waste in order to prevent it from being landfilled or dumped. For example, after assessing that single-use plastics have limited end-use unless converted into pellets, the company started a unit to process this waste fraction - the first of its kind in Kenya. This has reduced volumes of untreated waste and contributes to the maintenance of safe and healthy living environments. About 60% of the waste TakaTaka collects is organic, and composting this waste contributes to the reduction of methane emissions and odours that result when it is left to rot in the open air. Separated waste is compacted before leaving the site, saving space and vehicle emissions.

‍