Introduction

In 2024, Kenya emerged as a vibrant hub of thought leadership and action on issues of recycling, e‑waste management, and circular economy solutions. Three major events—the Recycling Association of Africa (RAA) Recycling B2B Conference, the 4th Africa International E‑Waste Conference, and the 9th Circular Economy Conference & Awards—brought together stakeholders across government, industry, NGOs, academia, and community groups. Though distinct in focus—metals, electronics, plastics, inclusive innovation—they shared common ground: advancing sustainable material flows via Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), improved governance, financial innovation, and visible community‑based impact.

This article distills the core themes and conversations that took center stage across these flagship gatherings.

1. RAA Recycling B2B Conference: Metal Recycling and Market Linkages

Held in Nairobi from June 30 to July 2, 2024, the RAA Recycling B2B Conference convened 500–700 delegates representing around 300 companies, including metal traders, recyclers, yard holders, smelters, foundries, manufacturing firms, technology providers, waste managers, and government officials.

Key Objectives and Themes:

  • Industry networking and trade facilitation: blurring lines between conference and expo, RAA sought to build regional and global market insights and business partnerships.
  • Technology and urban mining trends: by combining insights with exhibitor showcases, participants traced innovations in sustainable trade and processing across ferrous and non‑ferrous metals.
  • Stakeholder inclusion: sectors from municipal authorities to logistics and ELV (end‑of‑life vehicle) recyclers exchanged strategies toward circular metal flows.

Highlights:

  • Attendees explored supply chain integration—from scrap collection and grading to export and reuse markets.
  • Sessions delved into urban mining prospects, with Kenyan city waste streams offering untapped potential for metal recovery, demystifying formal–informal collaboration.
  • Government representatives and environment agencies joined industry for dialogue on regulation, trade standards, and sustainability certification.

Takeaways:

  • Reinforced the need for formalization and standardization in metal recycling practices.
  • Strengthened cross‑border trade and partnerships in metals recovery, boosting visibility for Kenyan firms.
  • Elevated discourse around sustainable processing tech and recycling finance in Africa’s metals sector.

2. 4th Africa International E‑Waste Conference: Policy, Governance & EPR

On October 16, 2024, Nairobi’s Shamba Events at Loreto Ridge hosted this hybrid event, centred around the theme: “E‑Waste Policies, Governance and Regulations: Enabling a Sustainable E‑Waste Ecosystem” 

Conference Rationale:

  • Confronting Africa’s fastest‑growing waste stream: although producing significant volumes of e‑waste, only ~1.5% is properly recycled.
  • Risks from hazardous informal disposal: soil, water and air pollution endangering vulnerable communities.
  • An urgent need to implement Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks and Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) across the continent 

Main Themes:

  1. Legislative Frameworks & Policy Harmonization: review of existing laws, benchmarking best practices globally, and identifying policy gaps.
  2. Operationalizing EPR: examining real‑world case studies, implementation barriers, and stakeholder engagement mechanisms.
  3. Cross‑sector Collaboration: coordinating government, NGOs, industry, academia and international actors for coherent approaches.
  4. Financing Models: mobilizing public‑private investment in recycling infrastructure, regulatory compliance, and capacity‑building.

Media coverage emphasized:

  • Policy dialogues assessing the state of e‑waste legislation in Africa.
  • The technical and institutional hurdles of launching EPR-based producer schemes.
  • Emerging financing partnerships, from donors, development agencies, and private sector contributions

Outcomes:

  • A clear call for regional cooperation to harmonize e‑waste governance across African states.
  • Affirmation that EPR is central to circular management—placing responsibility upstream onto manufacturers and importers.
  • Recognition that multi‑stakeholder dialogue and capacity building are essential, tied to resource mobilization for sustainable operations.

3. 9th Circular Economy Conference & Awards: People, Innovation & EPR in Action

On November 14–15, 2024, the 9th Circular Economy Conference & Awards, hosted by Sustainable Inclusive Business Kenya (SIB‑K) under KEPSA, convened over 300 delegates at Catholic University, Nairobi.

Theme: “People and Opportunities in East Africa”, under the umbrella of the “WE economy”—a model rooted in circularity, climate awareness, biodiversity, and people‑driven innovation.

Conference Tracks Included:

  • Circular agriculture and food systems
  • Digital access & AI in workforce transformation
  • Textile industry circularity
  • Packaging, EPR, and sustainability in waste management
  • Community‑based circular initiatives
  • SME financing and upskilling

Keynote & Plenary Highlights:

  • Contributions from Kenya’s Ministry of Environment, NEMA, TetraPak, USAID, WWF‑Kenya, and KEPSA leadership shaped strategic direction.
  • Opening remarks by dignitaries such as Hon. Soipan Tuya (Environment CS), and joint visionary statements from regional leaders across public, private, and environmental sectors

Masterclasses & Matchmaking:

  • Business masterclasses such as sustainability in packaging collection (TetraPak) and embedding ESG/CSRD in core business strategies.
  • Dedicated B2B/B2G matchmaking sessions, enabling private entities to partner with government or NGOs on circular initiatives.

Award Ceremony:

  • The event featured Kenya’s inaugural Circular Economy Awards, recognizing trailblazers across categories such as community campaigns, EPR schemes, innovative SMEs, technology disruptors, financiers, and young leaders. 
  • Notable awardees included:
    • Nyayo Estate Residents Association (NERA) for leading Nairobi’s first waste‑segregation estate.
    • Youth‑led initiatives like VSO’s Waste‑to‑Work, partnering with Takataka Solutions to empower over 1,000 waste pickers via buy‑back centers.

Key Themes:

  • People‑centered models: emphasising the role of communities, especially youth and indigenous groups.
  • Digital and nature‑based solutions: linking climate resilience, biodiversity, AI, and circularity.
  • Packaging and EPR innovation: especially in Kenya’s plastics sector.
  • Start‑ups, SMEs, and inclusion: showcasing opportunities for smaller players in the circular ecosystem.

4. Common Threads Across Conferences

Despite distinct sectors and timelines, several recurring themes emerged across all three events:

a) Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as Core Strategy

  • E‑Waste Conference spotlighted EPR as a means to hold producers accountable for product life‑cycles.
  • Circular Economy Conference featured packaging and textile masterclasses grounded in EPR implementation.
  • Metal conference implicitly connects via trade standards and producer obligations around recyclable goods.

b) Governance, Regulation & Policy Harmonization

  • The e‑waste event prioritized policy alignment across African states.
  • Circular economy discussions urged consistent legislation to enforce EPR and sustainable sourcing.
  • Metal recyclers engaged regulators on standardized frameworks for scrap handling and trade.

c) Finance, Investment & Innovation

  • Across plastics, metals, and electronics, deliberations focused on unlocking capital—public, private, donor—to scale infrastructure and capacity.
  • Awards highlighted financiers and SMEs enabling impact.
  • Metal conference drove business‑opportunity perspective, linking markets and funding.

d) Stakeholder Integration & Multi‑Sector Collaboration

  • Each conference brought together government, private sector, academia, and communities.
  • The Circular Economy Conference’s “WE economy” model epitomized inclusive, cross‑sector efforts.
  • E‑Waste Conference underscored the need for intra‑African collaboration on policy and governance.

e) Youth, Community Impact & Local Innovation

  • Awards acknowledged grassroots innovation—e.g., community waste segregation estates, youth‑led solar brick or plastic repurposing schemes.
  • Nairobi start‑ups and social enterprises frequently showcased as circular success stories.

5. Voices & Representative Initiatives

Though public materials seldom cite direct speech transcripts, reported outcomes and awardees provide insight:

  • NERA (Nyayo Estate Residents Association) was celebrated for steering Nairobi’s first segregated‑waste estate, redirecting over 75,000 kg plastic and 42,000 kg e‑waste from landfills since 2020.
  • Youth‑led Waste to Work initiative (with VSO and Takataka Solutions) empowered over 1,031 waste pickers, providing buy‑back centres and fair pay frameworks, countering middle‑man exploitation.

In addition:

  • Experts at the E‑Waste Conference reiterated Africa’s challenge: current collection and recycling rates stand around 1.5% while volumes of electronics waste are growing rapidly.
  • Proposals for EPR systems stressed the need for legislation aligned across nations, supported by enforceable regulatory institutions and funding mechanisms.

6. Strategic Takeaways & Forward Momentum

The interconnected learnings from 2024’s summits offer a coherent blueprint for Kenya’s circular transition:

1. Solidify EPR through legal frameworks and institutional capacity

  • Government and regulators must translate EPR models into enforceable, consistent national systems—covering electronics, plastics, textiles, and packaging.

2. Build integrated financing platforms

  • Cross‑sector capital, blending donor grants, private investment, impact capital, and public budgeting, is needed to fund recycling infrastructures and inclusive enterprises.

3. Foster formal‑informal sector partnerships

  • From metals scrapyards to community segregation estates, Kenya’s recycling economy thrives when local actors are formally integrated and supported.

4. Expand community innovative models

  • Replicating models like NERA and youth‑led buy‑back schemes strengthens grassroots recycling and creates employment within vulnerable populations.

5. Leverage digital innovation and industry matchmaking

  • Circular platforms—whether AI‑driven waste‑tracking, plastics marketplaces, or business matchmaking—facilitate scaling, transparency, and ecosystem synergy.

Conclusion

The 2024 Recycling, E‑Waste, and Circular Economy conferences in Kenya formed a fertile convergence of ideas, policies, and practical solutions. From trade networking in the metals sector, to robust policy dialogue around e‑waste, to inclusive innovation and recognition of community champions, these events showcased Kenya’s evolving leadership in material circularity.

At their core, the unifying message is clear: building a circular Kenya depends on aligning policy, investment, innovation, and people-driven action. As EPR frameworks mature, finance flows, and grassroots models multiply, the country moves closer to turning waste into opportunity—safeguarding both environment and livelihoods in the process.