Kenya is transitioning from a linear “take-make-use-dispose” waste system to a circular economy focused on prevention, reuse, recycling, and recovery. This shift is driven by the Sustainable Waste Management Act (2022) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations (2024), which make producers responsible for post-consumer waste from their products and packaging.

A key issue is the role of waste pickers, who collect, sort, and recover recyclables but remain excluded from formal waste systems due to restrictive licensing, limited infrastructure access, and inadequate compensation. Without deliberate integration into EPR, they may continue working in unsafe conditions and miss economic benefits, while EPR implementation could become more costly and less just.

The brief recommends:

• Harmonising licensing and compliance requirements.
• Providing fair compensation to waste pickers.
• Including waste pickers in EPR governance and decision-making.
• Promoting transparency through independent EPR audits.
• Improving waste pickers’ access to EPR information and awareness.

An inclusive EPR system that supports waste pickers would improve environmental outcomes, advance social justice, strengthen livelihoods, and create a more resilient, equitable waste management sector.