We’ve all seen towering piles of plastic. In Sweden, instead of letting those bottles and packaging waste gather dust, the country turns much of it into energy. Trash that can’t be easily recycled is burned in special plants that generate heat and electricity, warming homes, powering industries, and even reducing the need for fossil fuels. The air filters on these plants are state-of-the-art, capturing pollutants so most of what’s released meets high environmental standards. What Sweden has done shows a waste problem can become a part of the climate solution.
Here in Kenya, the challenges are different but just as urgent. Plastic is everywhere—in our water, in neighborhoods, choking drains and hurting wildlife. Trash collection is patchy, and many plastics end up in rivers or on roadsides. The informal sector (waste pickers, small recyclers) does much of the heavy lifting, often without clean tools or fair pay.
Still, change is happening. Some Kenyan cities are introducing more efficient waste collection systems. Community clean-ups have become regular events. Recycling centers are getting better recognition. Nairobi, for example, is pushing policies to limit single-use plastics, and non-profits are teaching people how to sort their waste at home.
One of the biggest boosts Kenya could get is something like Sweden’s energy recycling model—a place where plastics that are hard to recycle don’t end up polluting the land or ocean, but instead help power cities. If Kenya invested in waste-to-energy plants with strict pollution controls, or expanded its existing ones, it could cut down on dirty dumpsites and generate power. Combine that with better collection, support for waste workers, and robust plastic bans, and you have a recipe for dramatic change.
But it won’t be easy. These systems need money, technical know-how, community buy-in, and strong regulation. Standardizing waste sorting, investing in infrastructure, giving informal waste collectors more support and protection—all that needs coordinated political will.
Still, when communities clean up streets, when garbage trucks run regularly, when plastic bans are enforced and recycling is visible in everyday life, hope grows. Kenya’s fight against plastic pollution is far from over. But with ideas borrowed from energy recycling pioneers like Sweden, Kenya can turn its waste problem into an opportunity, a cleaner, greener future for everyone.
