The Kenya Extended Producer Responsibility Organization (KEPRO) is calling for stronger collaboration among government, producers, consumers and waste-management actors to turn growing awareness about responsible waste disposal into measurable action.
The call came on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, during a KEPRO Media Breakfast in Nairobi, where stakeholders reviewed the impact of the Rada Safi Campaign and discussed what is needed to accelerate Kenya’s transition to a circular economy.
KEPRO Chief Executive Officer James Odongo said the growing registration of manufacturers under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) must now translate into actual compliance and results across the waste value chain.
“There is incremental uptake of EPR. Manufacturers are registering with Producer Responsibility Organizations, but registration does not always translate into compliance,” Odongo said.
He said Kenya had made progress but still needed to build an EPR system that is legitimate, effective and capable of delivering results for all actors in the waste-management value chain.
The concern comes as Kenya moves deeper into implementation of the 2024 EPR Regulations, which place responsibility on producers, importers and brand owners for the management of products and packaging after consumption. KEPRO says the regulations require producers to establish take-back mechanisms for packaging they place on the market.
According to KEPRO, its Rada Safi campaign was designed to shift public thinking around waste by emphasizing that properly separated waste can become a valuable resource rather than simply something to be discarded.
The campaign used billboards, matatu branding, television, radio, digital platforms, influencers and public engagements to bring waste-management conversations into everyday spaces. However, KEPRO said the campaign also demonstrated that awareness is only the beginning, with lasting change requiring behaviour change, supportive systems and collective action.
KEPRO's campaign materials highlight the scale of the challenge, estimating that Kenya generates more than 24,000 tonnes of waste every day, equivalent to about 8.8 million tonnes annually. The organization says more than 75 per cent of the waste is mismanaged, while only about 10 per cent reaches designated disposal sites.
The situation has also exposed the economic dimension of the waste problem. KEPRO argues that properly managed waste can be recovered, recycled and transformed into new products, creating jobs, supporting livelihoods and contributing to the circular economy.
During the Nairobi meeting, stakeholders identified the high cost of recycling, limited infrastructure, problematic packaging materials and difficulties in waste separation among the key barriers to a stronger circular economy.
They also called for clearer coordination between county governments and Producer Responsibility Organizations.
Stakeholders estimated that Kenya had achieved between 75 and 80 per cent transition to EPR, although compliance and implementation remain works in progress.
The Kenya Association of Waste Recyclers Secretary General Richard Kainikia said waste should increasingly be viewed as an economic resource rather than simply a disposal problem.
“Waste is material to us. It is a genuine business that relies on supply and distribution just like any other business,” Kainikia said.
He emphasized the importance of waste separation and keeping recyclable materials uncontaminated to improve their value and recovery.
KEPRO is already implementing programmes aimed at turning this approach into measurable recovery. Its Recovery and Recycling programme reports that more than 93,000 metric tonnes of post-consumer packaging waste have been recovered and recycled, while more than KSh300 million has been distributed to support recycling efforts across the waste-recovery ecosystem.
The programme also says more than 3,000 waste-management operator representatives have received training and capacity-building support. KEPRO says the current recovery system incorporates digital reporting and verified material traceability to strengthen accountability across the value chain.
The organization says recovery involves several stages, including collection, aggregation, segregation, transportation, sorting, processing and conversion, with different actors required to work together before recovered material can return to productive use.
KEPRO's take-back model similarly seeks to make producers responsible for packaging after consumers have used their products. Under the model, consumers return packaging for collection, sorting and recycling, creating a system intended to close the loop between production, consumption and recovery.
The Rada Safi campaign now gives way to the next phase of KEPRO's public engagement through the fourth KEPRO Annual Circular Packaging Conference (KACPC IV) scheduled for October 2, 2026, at Hyatt Regency Nairobi, Westlands.
The conference will bring together policymakers, manufacturers, business leaders, recyclers, investors, innovators and sustainability stakeholders under the theme “Sustainable Packaging for a Resilient Future: Innovation. Accountability. Impact.”
KEPRO says the conference will focus on partnerships, innovation, investment and practical action in Kenya's packaging and circular-economy sector.
The shift from Rada Safi to KACPC IV therefore marks a move from asking Kenyans to rethink how they view waste to demanding stronger systems capable of ensuring that producers, consumers, government and recyclers act on that awareness.
For KEPRO, the emerging test is no longer simply whether Kenyans understand the waste problem, but whether that awareness can be converted into compliance, recovery, recycling and measurable environmental and economic results.
