Waste disposal and recycling in Kenya: sorting rules, bin colours and where to take waste

Kenya's waste regulations of 2024 require every waste generator to separate hazardous from non-hazardous waste and to split non-hazardous waste into organic and non-organic fractions. The segregated waste must go into labelled, colour-coded bins or bags. The National Waste Colour Code in the Second Schedule of the regulations is:

| Colour | Waste type | |---|---| | Green | Organic waste (food and garden waste) | | Blue | Recyclable waste | | Black | General waste |

Counties can have their own older rules, so the colours you see locally may differ:

• Nairobi: the Nairobi City County Solid Waste Management Act 2015 sets green liners for organic waste, blue for plastics and paper, and brown for other waste. It also lists organic, plastics, paper and metals as separate categories.
• Mombasa: the Mombasa County Solid Waste Management Act 2021 requires separation at source into dry and wet waste, and collectors must not transfer unseparated waste.

Check with your county or your collector which bags or bins they use.

Kenya does not have a uniform system of public recycling yards. Instead, the Sustainable Waste Management Act 2022 sets duties for each county government. According to the Act, counties shall:

• provide central collection centres for materials that can be recycled;
• establish a materials recovery facility (MRF), licensed by NEMA, for final sorting, composting and recycling, with residual waste going to a disposal facility or landfill;
• develop and maintain designated disposal sites and sanitary landfills, and keep a register of all waste service providers in the county.

Opening hours, fees, accepted materials and whether residents can deliver waste themselves are set locally – ask your county environment department. NEMA's EPR page offers a downloadable list of waste transporters and an inventory of waste management facilities in Kenya.

Nairobi: the county's 2015 Act requires owners and occupiers to keep approved, covered bins and to subscribe only to a collection service provider approved by the county. You must be able to show proof of safe disposal, such as a payment receipt from a licensed private collector. Nairobi's Dandora dumpsite has been the subject of court cases on pollution. In February 2026 the Environment and Land Court awarded KSh 25,000 each to 1,032 waste pickers working there, against the Nairobi County Government ([2026] KEELC 1158).

• Hazardous waste must be kept apart from other waste. The 2024 waste regulations list, among others, waste pharmaceuticals, waste oils, mercury-containing waste, organic solvents and asbestos as hazardous. Under the Act, hazardous waste is handled as prescribed by the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act (EMCA); ask your county or a NEMA-licensed handler where to take it.
• E-waste and batteries: electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and accumulators are covered by extended producer responsibility (EPR). Producers must set up take-back schemes and pay for collection and treatment. Ask the seller or brand whether they take old devices back; we found no official nationwide list of public e-waste drop-off points.
• Solar panels and home batteries: these fall under the electrical equipment and battery category of the EPR regulations. There is no specific household rule, so ask your installer or supplier about take-back.
• Medicines: the Pharmacy and Poisons Board's pharmaceutical waste guidelines (2026) are aimed at the health sector. We found no official household take-back scheme. Ask a pharmacy or health facility whether they accept expired medicines, and do not put them in general waste.
• Tyres, textiles, some furniture, diapers: listed in the EPR regulations' First Schedule as non-packaging items subject to EPR.
• Bulky and construction waste: no national household rule; arrange collection through your county or a licensed waste transporter.

• Plastic bag ban: since 28 August 2017 it has been illegal to use, manufacture or import plastic carrier bags and flat bags for commercial and household packaging (Gazette Notices 2334 and 2356 of 2017, according to NEMA). The Environment and Land Court declined to annul the ban in 2018. According to NEMA, some bags for industrial primary packaging are exempt with a clearance. NEMA also ordered a stop to low-quality non-woven polypropylene bags from 31 March 2019.
• Protected areas: Gazette Notice No. 4858 (June 2019) bans plastic bottles, straws and related products in national parks, national reserves, conservation areas and other designated wildlife protected areas, effective 4 June 2020.
• Take-back and deposits: the EPR regulations oblige producers to establish a take-back scheme, which may include a deposit-refund system. The regulations cover packaging made of plastics, aluminium, paper, glass, cardboard and cartons. We found no nationwide bottle deposit scheme in official sources. NEMA's EPR page names producer responsibility organisations such as KEPRO, PAKPRO and KEHAPRO.
• Waste pickers: according to NEMA's EPR FAQ, producers are expected to publish payment rates for collection per product, paid to waste pickers at collection points or materials recovery facilities.

• Constitution of Kenya 2010, Fourth Schedule: refuse removal, refuse dumps and solid waste disposal are county functions.
• Sustainable Waste Management Act 2022 (Cap. 387C): in force since 26 July 2022. It covers separation at source, EPR, materials recovery facilities, county waste plans and duties of waste service providers. Mishandling waste as an individual can bring a fine of up to KSh 20,000, up to six months in prison, or both (section 20).
• Environmental Management and Co-ordination (Waste Management) Regulations 2024 (Legal Notice 178): segregation duties, the National Waste Colour Code and hazardous waste lists.
• EPR Regulations 2024 (Legal Notice 176, amended 2025): product categories, producer registration and compliance schemes.
• County laws: for example Nairobi (2015) and Mombasa (2021), which set local rules for bins, collection and separation.