Kenya:Creating a sustainable world from Nairobi

Environment   Aug 30, 2017 by Melissa Joe

I sat in a matatu (public transportation bus) very recently as I made my way to Nairobi's CBD to do some shopping. About half way into the drive, a hawker walked into the vehicle, carrying in his arms an assortment of candy and gum. The gentleman seated next to me immediately purchased some sweets and then proceeded to give his female companion and I some. I accepted gladly. I did however notice that his friend threw her wrapper out of the window without care for her consequences, but not a word escaped my lips.mI do regret not uttering anything to correct her, but my act has lead me to an action plan for what I envision as a sustainable world.

In my view, a sustainable world is one where the concept of "reduce, reuse, recycle" is fully implemented in all homes, institutions, vehicles and streets so as to reduce illnesses; global warming; and to provide job opportunities to humans. The lady who threw her wrapper made me realize just how many people in the world are not aware/ignorant of or simply choose to ignore the impacts of littering on our planet. Such actions are extremely harmful to animals as they could choke on our litter, get trapped in it, or even consume toxic substances from improperly disposed waste build up where bacteria thrives (which also applies to human beings e.g. through the consumption of contaminated water).

My plan to create a sustainable world (beginning in Nairobi) is quite simple and can easily be adopted by many. The first step is to provide education concerning the effects of littering , as well as simple adjustments that people could make in their lives in order to reduce the amount of waste they create on a daily basis. Such measures include: using a constant bag e.g. a basket to carry groceries in to opt out of the use of plastic paper bags; eating meals at restaurants where plates are used instead of taking the food with you in a bag or container that will be thrown away the moment you are done with your food; making use of food carrying containers rather than e.g. zip lock bags which cannot be reused as much etc.

The second step would be to urge the Nairobi city council to place recycling bins all over the county due to the fact that these bins are concentrated in the CBD and barely are present in its outskirts. This would encourage those who are knowledgeable about the importance of recycling to actually practice it. From here the final step would be to place recycle bins in public transportation vehicles since this idea did come from one. The plastic and other non bio-degradable waste collected from these bins would have specific drop off points where they would then be transferred to art and crafts centers or crafts men and women, and be transformed into works of art, beads, vikapu(Swahili term for baskets) and fashion items for example. The same would occur for the bins all over the county.

Post comment