Taka Taka Solutions

Area of Focus:

Waste-Free World

Geography:

Kenya

Kenya is currently stuck in an unsustainable linear economy – from consumption to disposal at dumpsites. This system pollutes the air, dirties the water and causes health problems for millions of low-income citizens. Only ten percent of this waste is ever repurposed, recycled or composted. Plastics are a particular problem, with a recycling rate of only seven percent. 

Taka Taka Solutions recycles single-use plastic containers and flexible packaging in partnership with waste pickers and factories in Kenya. It manages 60 tons of waste per day from residential, industrial and commercial clients, which is segregated at material recovery facilities. It also receives waste from its growing workforce of over 1,000 waste pickers. Plastic is sorted by type and colour (rigid and flexible) and 85 percent of this is recycled through an integrated model of collection, sorting and recycling. It provides employment opportunities to over 700 staff members who operate two sorting sites, one composting site, two recycling plants and five buyback centres. More than 50 percent of waste pickers are women and Taka Taka Solutions provides waste pickers with personal protective equipment, medical check-ups and childcare options. 

TRANSFORM is supporting Taka Taka Solutions to expand its integrated recycling solution to new plastic material types and to launch new buyback centres. It also supports capacity building for waste pickers, improvements to recycling processing for flexible plastics and the growth of production volumes and financing strategies. TRANSFORM also helps Taka Taka Solutions to source flexible plastics and waste pickers in remote refugee camps.