194 ANNE M. KARANJA, MOSES M. IKIARA, THEO C. DAVIES
insecurity especially in this era of mass retrenchment hinders any sort of petition or
reporting to the ministry of any violations of the regulations because of fear of losing
employment. The large reservoir of labour available makes it very easy to replace
‘errant’ workers. Many of the workers in the factories are sufficiently aware of the
health risks but have little alternative for employment. The rare monitory visits by the
Ministry of Labour are primarily used to obtain ‘bribes’ from owners of the large-scale
recycling units. Although managers in the large-scale recycling units claimed to be
adhering to the government requirements, fieldwork visits to some of the factories
proved otherwise. Workers could be observed going about work without basic protec-
tive gear like masks and gloves.
8.11. CONCLUSION
The arrangements for resource recovery and recycling discussed in this chapter have
potential to contribute to SWM and sustainable development but some serious contra-
dictions continue to impede its growth and development. It remains severely neglected
in government regulation. Government policy both at national and local levels does
not consider the modality’s significance to SWM and sustainable development. There
has been official recognition of these activities especially at the lower-income levels,
while some of the actors higher up the commodity chain have propitiously gained
from recent government policy in a manner threatening to the socio-economic
viability of lower level. For environmental as well as socio-economic purposes, there
is need to stimulate and facilitate the recovery and recycling of local waste materials
through incentives.
It is contended on the one hand that failure on the part of the government to recognise
and support these activities and the partnerships therein precludes the contribution of
this modality to SWM and the opportunity to design sustainable alternatives^33 or solu-
tions to the problem. These activities have the potential to increase the quantities of
inorganic waste materials diverted from the municipal waste stream especially
through recovery and recycling opportunities. It can also generate new categories of
work and thus produce or increase the employment and income earning opportunities
of the city dwellers (Lardinois and Furedy, 1999).
- Sustainable alternatives here as outlined by Schubeler (1996) refer to strategies that aim at waste min-
imisation, increased waste recovery and reuse and the safe and environmentally sound disposal of
waste. These activities in addition increase opportunities for employment or to earn income.