The County’s Directorate of Environment visited the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) which runs plastic recycling sites in Kakuma.
The visit was to gain insights into DRC’s operations and explore potential areas of collaboration, specifically focused on the Fair Recycling Project.
During the engagement with DRC officials, the Director for Environment, Phoebe Ekal highlighted the significance of partnership meant to achieve the shared goals of environmental conservation.
“The Directorate realizes the importance of the Fair Recycling Project which seeks to solve waste management, with sustainability, hence the need for a joint effort in the project,” she said.
She disclosed ongoing efforts within the Government to draft a waste management policy, which she sought support from partners for its effective implementation.
The DRC North Rift Area Manager, Hassan Noor, provided an overview of the organization’s operations and emphasized their commitment to a collaboration with the County Government on early warning systems and environmental impact assessment.
Turkana West Sub County Environment Officer, Samuel Ekaran, echoed the call for joint effort, proposing a baseline survey to quantify waste volume and characteristics.
“Identifying specific collection points for different types of waste is essential to streamline our effort to curb child labor associated with waste management,” he added.
The Fair Recycling Project is a collaborative initiative between DRC, Unilever, and Mr. Green Africa, which aims to create employment opportunities, increase income, and improve working conditions for both refugees and the host community.
This initiative involves integrating informal and marginalized waste pickers and refugees into a formalized plastic recycling value chain.
Those present included Ngala Ekuleu (Deputy Director of Urban Areas Management), Jacob Mutua (Principal Environment Officer), Raphael Lopus (Ward Environment Officer), Rael Ekitela and Naomi Lotion (Climate Change Officers) and Trey Mwangi (Public Health Officer).
The DRC representatives were David Oyori, Joan Wamaitha (Protection Officer), Jackson Njoroge (Commercial Partner), and John Kiruga (Economic Recovery Assistant).
