Solid Waste Management and Recycling

174 ANNE M. KARANJA, MOSES M. IKIARA, THEO C. DAVIES

Types of materials traded
Trade and recycling of waste materials in Nairobi does not seem to be sufficiently
developed to enable specialisation. Dealers do not specialise, as such specialisation
may result in business failure if/when the demand for any particular material dimin-
ishes. Thus diversification in waste materials is aimed at avoiding or reducing such
risks. This contrasts with the situation in India, where specialisation especially by
large dealers is clearly observed, though waste trade operations there are larger than
in Nairobi. (Baud and Schenk, 1994).

Paper is the most preferred waste material. Other important materials include scrap
iron, plastic and whole bottles. Data on material preferences and prices by waste
dealers are given in the table below.

At the time of fieldwork, most of the dealers, especially around the Dandora waste
dump, had accumulated large amounts of plastic. Surprisingly, they continued to
purchase it from waste pickers but offered much lower prices to them. However, they
made extensive use of unpaid family labour and indebted pickers, in order to lower
their own operating costs.

The physical location of a dealer’s business is determined by the availability of good
materials in the surrounding areas, the presence of waste pickers as well as the prox-
imity of the site to the dealer’s home. Many dealer activities in Nairobi are concen-
trated around dumpsites. Those who purchase materials from street waste pickers are
more widely scattered in the residential estates. Like waste pickers, dealers decrease
in number outwards from the city centre. They are rare in high-income residential
areas where large private companies have taken over household waste collection.

Table 8.2. Materials traded: types, purchase and sale prices

Type Number (percent) Average purchase
prices in Ksh.

Average selling

prices in Ksh.

Paper
Broken glass
Steel
Scrap iron
Plastic
Whole bottles
Bones
Aluminium
Copper

24 (77)

12 (39)

13 (42)

22 (71)

17 (55)

17 (55)

9 (29)

8 (26)

6 (19)

2

1

3

3

3

1-8 per piece

2.50

7

7

3

3

5

5

5

1-15 p/kg

4

12

10

Note: N=36. Totals add up to more 100 percent due to multiple responses.