A Malindi resident of European origin carelessly disposing waste in Malindi town.
Kilifi County is staring at an environmental pollution hazard after waste holding grounds were vandalized in the area forcing residents to throw waste material in undesignated places.
The Kilifi County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Water, Environment and Blue Economy Omar Said revealed that most designated waste holding grounds were not functioning after vandals stole the waste bins.
“Our main challenge is vandalism and all the dustbins we have erected have either been stolen or vandalized and we are calling on residents to know that it is their money that they are wasting away when the installations are vandalized,” he said.
He said that his department was currently enlightening the community and sensitizing them on the importance of proper waste management for a clean environment before embarking on arresting violators of the environment act.
“We are sensitizing them and the law is there and when we are through with the sensitization we will embark on law enforcement where we will arrest violators because the fines can rake in good money for the county,” he said.
The County is partnering with the World Wildlife Fund Kenya to employment opportunities for area youth through the recycling of waste material
The WWF through the Coastal Kenya Program Manager Asma Awadh is working with community groups in the region to reduce plastic pollution.
“There is value in plastic waste and we encourage people to collect and sell the plastic crushers to enable recycling,” she said.
The chairman of the Water and Environment committee at the Kilifi County Assembly Karisa Ngirani said that the assembly had passed the solid waste management bill that will regulate waste disposal in the County and it will also encourage the recycling of waste materials to create other useful products such as a way of creating employment and earning revenue for the county.
“We have passed the Solid Waste Management bill that stipulates designated places for waste collection and we are waiting for the Executive to operationalize the bill so that we start benefiting from it so that we can recycle wastes and earn from it,” he said.
KTMN Reporter