[The Dandora dumpsite, tractors moving the trash]
[Eunice Achieng, Dandora resident who depends on the dumpsite to make a living by collecting plastics and selling them, at the Dandora dumpsite]
Eunice Achieng (interview): “I work with plastics (meaning she collects discarded plastics), I collect plastics and per day I can make around Ksh, 300 ($3). I sell one kilo at Ksh,17 ($0.17). But I lack protection in this job. My hands hurt and at times I fall sick, like right now I am coughing and without this job my kids will not eat. This is what is raising my children.”
[Kenneth Ochieng founder of Kibarazani Cocktail, a community based organization that collects plastics from dumpsites and recycles them, with other group members collecting plastics]
[A group using plastics to make items like plant pots and ropes from the bottle tops]
Kenneth Ochieng (interview): “Plastic pollution has become a bigger problem in our society. People used to throw garbage everywhere and these plastics blocked our drainage and the environment. So we have come up with the initiative that we collect the plastic bottles and recycle them into a different product that we add value to them. Like these seats, sofa sets and flower vases and the skipping ropes and even shades and other things we can do from it.”
[Products made from the recycled plastics]
[Victor Boiyo, Environmental governance and management expert, in office]
Victor Boiyo (interview): “Plastic waste is a serious matter especially in the developing countries. For us to be effectively be able to manage this waste we must think of how best can we reduce, how can we reuse and how can we recycle. It is even better when we tap into the potential that comes with technology, and we are able to recycle plastics and come up with so many other things that can be usable in our day to day life. Talk of posts, talk of seats and several other things that can come from recycling of plastics.”
This script was provided by The Associated Press.