KEPRO Calls for Stronger Action to Turn Waste Awareness into Circular Economy

Panelists during a KEPRO Media Breakfast in Nairobi, where stakeholders discussed the need for stronger collaboration and communication to drive responsible waste management and advance Kenya’s circular economy.

By: Gladys Karuga.

The Kenya Extended Producer Responsibility Organization (KEPRO) has called for stronger cooperation among government agencies, manufacturers, consumers, recyclers and the media to translate growing awareness of responsible waste management into concrete action.

Speaking during a KEPRO Media Breakfast in Nairobi themed “Shifting Mindsets, Driving Action: Communication as a Catalyst for Kenya’s Circular Economy,” KEPRO Chief Executive Officer James Odongo said the media had a major role to play in influencing how Kenyans understand and respond to environmental challenges. 

Odongo said effective storytelling could go beyond creating awareness by influencing people to adopt responsible environmental practices.

“We fundamentally believe that the media plays quite a critical role in shaping perceptions around certain topical issues within our society. The media has this opportunity because a story can change what people know, but the right story can change what people do,” he said. 

He said KEPRO was now seeking to shift the public conversation from awareness to meaningful action by encouraging journalists and media practitioners to champion environmental stewardship through consistent and effective reporting.

Odongo noted that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) was still relatively new in Kenya despite the enactment of the Sustainable Waste Management Act in 2022 and the EPR Regulations in 2024.

He said KEPRO currently represented about 1,600 brands and had partnered with all 47 counties, with active waste collection sites established in 34 counties through recyclers. 

According to Odongo, producer compliance had continued to improve, although several challenges remained. These included limited data, high recycling costs, problematic packaging materials and inadequate integration of informal waste actors into formal EPR systems.

He said Kenya had made significant progress in implementing EPR compared with other African countries, but rated the country's implementation at about six out of 10, noting that more work was needed to close gaps in infrastructure, coordination and compliance. 

On the role of county governments, Christine Mwende Kivuva, Assistant Director, Environmental Monitoring, Compliance and Enforcement at the Nairobi City County Government, said devolution had provided counties with an opportunity to work more closely with other stakeholders to improve waste management.

“Waste management is the responsibility of all of us, from the generators, from the producers, and everyone,” Kivuva said, adding that Nairobi's legal framework required all players in the waste value chain to contribute towards keeping the city clean and green.

Meanwhile, Nancy Muriithi, Green Growth and Climate Change Officer at the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), said manufacturers were increasingly embracing EPR regulations and joining Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs).

“Manufacturers have for a long time been environmentally conscious. They understand that they need to have a thriving environment for them to continue with business as usual,” Muriithi said. 

She said manufacturers were also adopting eco-design principles aimed at reducing waste at the design stage, while viewing sustainable production as both an environmental responsibility and a business opportunity.

However, Muriithi noted that manufacturers were at different stages of compliance, with sectors such as food and beverages recording stronger uptake because of consumer expectations and the growing need for businesses to demonstrate environmental responsibility. 

On financing for EPR, Richard Kainikia, Secretary General of the Kenya Association of Waste Recyclers (KAWR), called for a balanced approach that would allow producers to meet their environmental obligations without undermining their financial sustainability.

Kainikia said waste should be viewed as an economic resource capable of supporting businesses within a circular economy.

“Waste is material to us. It is a genuine business that relies on supply and distribution just like any other business,” he said, stressing that a circular economy begins when people identify value in waste. 

He urged consumers to separate waste at source and ensure recyclable materials remained uncontaminated, saying proper separation increases the value of waste and improves recovery.

The stakeholders also called for greater recognition and integration of waste reclaimers into formal waste management systems, improved recycling infrastructure and stronger coordination between county governments and Producer Responsibility Organizations. 

The media breakfast came after the conclusion of KEPRO's Rada Safi Campaign, which used billboards, matatu branding, television, radio, digital platforms and public engagement to promote responsible waste management and waste separation.

KEPRO said the campaign had demonstrated that awareness alone was not enough to achieve lasting change, which also required behavioural change, supportive infrastructure and coordinated action.

The organisation is expected to continue the conversation at the 4th KEPRO Annual Circular Packaging Conference (KACPC IV) scheduled for October 2, 2026, at Hyatt Regency Nairobi, Westlands. The conference will be held under the theme “Sustainable Packaging for a Resilient Future: Innovation. Accountability. Impact.”