TakaTaka Solutions: An integrated waste management and recycling approach

TakaTaka Solutions’ state-of-the-art waste management value chain is full circle - from providing much needed services to creating jobs.

Circular Economy Kenya
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Key Facts

  • ‘Takataka’ means ‘waste’ in Kiswahili.
  • TakaTaka Solutions has developed to become the largest waste management company in Kenya.
  • The organization now serves more than 20,000 households and handle 70 tons of waste per day.
  • TakaTaka Solutions’ rate of recycling is over 90%.
  • The organization operates a composting facility, three sorting sites, a recycling plant, and two waste buy-back centers.
In Kenya, TakaTaka Solutions provides compost to farmers and sells it to households for individual use.

Key Features

TakaTaka Solutions is a Kenyan waste management company (‘takataka’ means ‘waste’ in Kiswahili). TakaTaka is active in waste collection, sorting, composting, plastic recycling, and buying back waste from waste pickers. With its integrated model, TakaTaka has the following impact:

  • Offers affordable waste collection services to all income areas;
  • Recycles >90% of collected waste;
  • Creates jobs, especially for women and youth, in a safe, healthy and environmentally adequate environment;
  • Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by reintegration of recycled fractions into the product value chain;
  • Contributes to a cleaner and healthier environment in Kenya by state-of-the-art waste collection, processing, and onward sales of waste;
  • Increasing agricultural soil fertility by providing compost (through processing of biological waste).

Social Impact

TakaTaka Solutions was founded in 2011 to work towards a systemic solution for the waste management problems in Africa. We have since developed to become the largest waste management company in Kenya. We are currently active in five aspects of waste management: waste collection, waste sorting, composting, plastic recycling, and buying waste materials from waste pickers. We now serve more than 20,000 households and handle 70 tons of waste per day. Our average rate of waste separation is above 90%, which is one of the highest recycling rates in the world. We operate a composting facility, three sorting sites, a recycling plant, and two waste buy-back centers. We employ over 350 staff.

Future Plans

We are looking to achieve the following in the mid-term (next two years):

  • Start a hazardous and sanitary waste business unit by operating a hazardous waste incinerator;
  • Start a recycling plant for flexible plastics;
  • Grow our geographic footprint to 6 counties, including Mombasa.

In the long-term (3+ years) we are looking to:

  • Open up our sorting plants to third-party waste collectors;
  • Start partnerships with municipalities;
  • Expand to other East African countries.

Main Target Group

Households, apartments, businesses (malls, schools, hotels, retail, etc.), industrial, recycling industries, local plastic manufacturers, farmers (small- and large-scale), urban households, and waste pickers.

Main User

Our waste collection service is for any type of waste producer. Our sorted recyclables are used by third-party recycling industries. Our processed plastic materials are used by local plastic manufacturers to make new plastic products. Our compost is used by Kenyan farmers to improve their soil fertility and we also sell compost to urban households. We work with waste pickers by buying sorted waste materials from them.

Price (in USD)

N/A

© TakaTaka Solutions
© TakaTaka Solutions
© TakaTaka Solutions
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