162 ANNE M. KARANJA, MOSES M. IKIARA, THEO C. DAVIES
is therefore important to include a discussion on the nature of such alliances existing
in SWM activities, as well as their contributions to urban sustainable development.
This chapter deals with the arrangements for inorganic resource recovery and recy-
cling in Nairobi, focusing on the actors, processes and activities of waste recovery,
reuse and recycling. The chapter identifies the actors and activities involved,
describing the level, organisation and nature of their operations, and the institutional
framework under which they operate. Secondly, the kinds of alliances that actors have
formed are examined, including the types of co-operation and conflicts involved.
Finally, the extent to which these activities contribute to environmental and
socio-economic aspects of sustainable development is analysed.
Recovery, reuse and recycling activities can reduce environmental stresses through
the reduction of waste destined for disposal, or left to accumulate in homes and neigh-
bourhoods. Such activities also provide increased opportunities for employment and
income for those directly involved in such activities. However, when not appropriately
regulated, they can produce environmental stresses themselves, by using environmen-
tally threatening production methods, unsafe disposal of waste generated during
production, and by threatening the health of actors and nearby areas.
The questions guiding the discussion are:
- Who are the actors involved in the recovery, reuse, trade and recycling of inor-
ganic waste materials in Nairobi, and within what regulatory framework do they
operate? - How are activities and processes in this area organised, and what are their contri-
butions to sustainable development? - What are the main alliances between the actors, and how do these contribute to
sustainable development?
Data collection entailed examination of the institutional arrangements involved in the
management of SW in the city and the commodity chains under which the activities
are organised^1. Actors studied included households, waste pickers, and itinerant
buyers, waste dealers, and small and large-scale recycling enterprises. From each of
these actors, information was collected on social and demographic characteristics,
operational patterns and their dynamics, the rules and regulations (formal or informal),
and where they fit into the commodity chain. Collection, trading, reuse and recycling
arrangements, the materials preferred, pricing and price fluctuations, net incomes,
- The discussion is based on analyses of field data collected between 1997 and 1998 in Nairobi and also
on secondary materials on the subject. Various methods of data collection were employed. The survey
method both through structured and unstructured interview schedules served as the main medium of pri-
mary data collection. Other methods included focus group discussions, key informant interviews as well
as direct observation. Review of secondary materials was also used.