Unilever, UK Government and EY facilitate cross-continent collaboration to transform waste management in Kenya
NAIROBI , KENYA, March 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Kenyan waste management impact enterprise TakaTaka Ni Mali, and India-based zero-waste technology enterprise TrashCon, today announce its collaboration to modernise Kenya’s circular economy infrastructure by introducing TrashCon’s decentralised waste segregation solution. Facilitated by TRANSFORM – an impact accelerator led by Unilever, the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and EY – the partnership will enable counties across Kenya to recover value from mixed waste and build more resilient waste systems.
The Kenyan Government has demonstrated its commitment to the circular economy with active rollout of its Sustainable Waste Management Act (2022) ongoing this year. Among other changes, the Act requires households to separate waste into recyclable, organic and general waste. The persistence of mixed waste handling and low recovery rates reflects a transition challenge and cultural inertia toward circularity. While circular systems require separation and value recovery at source, existing infrastructure and behavioural habits still mirror linear waste models. This gap slows the shift toward more sustainable systems. Evidence from organisations such as the Centre for Environment Justice and Development shows urban waste collection in Kenya remains at only 20-30%, leaving informal actors to bridge the system’s deficiencies.
As counties seek to implement the new policy and attract investment into the sector, there is a growing need for practical, scalable infrastructure that reduces reliance on unsafe, labour-intensive processes. Automating waste segregation through technologies like TrashCon’s TrashBot, eliminates the need for people to handle mixed waste directly, creating a safer, more efficient system that improves consistency and protects waste workers. It also helps sort smaller fragments of waste and low value recyclables that cannot be manually recovered.
Recognising this, TRANSFORM identified strong synergies between TrashCon and TakaTaka Ni Mali – both enterprises it supports – to help translate the country’s new waste policy into practice.
-- Diana Dalton, Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director at the British High Commission Nairobi, said:
“This initiative is a prime example of the innovation and connectivity driving the renewed Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership to new heights. This collaboration will solve an infrastructure challenge at county and national level, create jobs, and at the same time help protect our planet. We go far when we go together.”
TrashCon’s TrashBot technology is designed to process mixed municipal waste, automatically separating wet organic material from dry recyclables. Moist matter is composted or used for biogas, and dry materials are either recycled or upcycled into construction boards for furniture. Its decentralised design allows it to be deployed at different scales depending on local waste volumes, making it suitable for county-level MRFs. It also ensures safer working conditions, complementing manual waste collection work instead of replacing it.
TakaTaka Ni Mali will act as the local reseller for the TrashBot in Kenya, helping with installation and maintenance. Working with ecosystem partners, including county governments and logistics operators, it aims to support an integrated waste management system.
-- Mary Ngechu, Founder and Patron of TakaTaka Ni Mali, said:
“To address Kenya’s and East Africa’s wider waste infrastructure challenges, we must stop thinking of waste management as one-off projects. Instead, we should recognise it as essential national infrastructure that must be fully integrated just like energy, water, and transport systems. Our collaboration with TrashCon is a powerful example of South-to-South knowledge transfer. They have developed a proven model we can build from, and their invaluable insights demonstrate the wealth of expertise that exists worldwide.”
TakaTaka Ni Mali is further deploying Ecomali, its digital traceability platform developed with TRANSFORM. Effective waste management relies on accurate, accessible data. To strengthen tracking of collection activities, TakaTaka Ni Mali has digitised the waste management ecosystem. In doing so, it is helping to demonstrate the commercial viability of the technology and business model, as well as unlock investment in the sector. By improving data visibility and accountability, it also aids compliance with the Sustainable Waste Management Act’s emerging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements.
-- Nivedha RM CEO and Founder of TrashCon, said:
“We are grateful for TRANSFORM’s support in scaling TrashCon’s waste segregation technology 100-fold in India and now, to reach across continents; therefore, bringing us closer to our mission of positively impacting lives through effective waste management. Our partnership with TakaTaka Ni Mali demonstrates the power of collaboration, showing how shared expertise and aligned purpose can accelerate progress and create lasting impact.”
The first TrashBot model concept will be showcased at a side event under the theme of Waste Management and Circular Economy, co-hosted by TakaTaka Ni Mali during the Kenya International Investment Conference (KIICO 2026) on 25 - 27 March. There are currently plans for two additional machines to be installed.
The Kenyan Government has demonstrated its commitment to the circular economy with active rollout of its Sustainable Waste Management Act (2022) ongoing this year. Among other changes, the Act requires households to separate waste into recyclable, organic and general waste. The persistence of mixed waste handling and low recovery rates reflects a transition challenge and cultural inertia toward circularity. While circular systems require separation and value recovery at source, existing infrastructure and behavioural habits still mirror linear waste models. This gap slows the shift toward more sustainable systems. Evidence from organisations such as the Centre for Environment Justice and Development shows urban waste collection in Kenya remains at only 20-30%, leaving informal actors to bridge the system’s deficiencies.
As counties seek to implement the new policy and attract investment into the sector, there is a growing need for practical, scalable infrastructure that reduces reliance on unsafe, labour-intensive processes. Automating waste segregation through technologies like TrashCon’s TrashBot, eliminates the need for people to handle mixed waste directly, creating a safer, more efficient system that improves consistency and protects waste workers. It also helps sort smaller fragments of waste and low value recyclables that cannot be manually recovered.
Recognising this, TRANSFORM identified strong synergies between TrashCon and TakaTaka Ni Mali – both enterprises it supports – to help translate the country’s new waste policy into practice.
-- Diana Dalton, Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director at the British High Commission Nairobi, said:
“This initiative is a prime example of the innovation and connectivity driving the renewed Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership to new heights. This collaboration will solve an infrastructure challenge at county and national level, create jobs, and at the same time help protect our planet. We go far when we go together.”
TrashCon’s TrashBot technology is designed to process mixed municipal waste, automatically separating wet organic material from dry recyclables. Moist matter is composted or used for biogas, and dry materials are either recycled or upcycled into construction boards for furniture. Its decentralised design allows it to be deployed at different scales depending on local waste volumes, making it suitable for county-level MRFs. It also ensures safer working conditions, complementing manual waste collection work instead of replacing it.
TakaTaka Ni Mali will act as the local reseller for the TrashBot in Kenya, helping with installation and maintenance. Working with ecosystem partners, including county governments and logistics operators, it aims to support an integrated waste management system.
-- Mary Ngechu, Founder and Patron of TakaTaka Ni Mali, said:
“To address Kenya’s and East Africa’s wider waste infrastructure challenges, we must stop thinking of waste management as one-off projects. Instead, we should recognise it as essential national infrastructure that must be fully integrated just like energy, water, and transport systems. Our collaboration with TrashCon is a powerful example of South-to-South knowledge transfer. They have developed a proven model we can build from, and their invaluable insights demonstrate the wealth of expertise that exists worldwide.”
TakaTaka Ni Mali is further deploying Ecomali, its digital traceability platform developed with TRANSFORM. Effective waste management relies on accurate, accessible data. To strengthen tracking of collection activities, TakaTaka Ni Mali has digitised the waste management ecosystem. In doing so, it is helping to demonstrate the commercial viability of the technology and business model, as well as unlock investment in the sector. By improving data visibility and accountability, it also aids compliance with the Sustainable Waste Management Act’s emerging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements.
-- Nivedha RM CEO and Founder of TrashCon, said:
“We are grateful for TRANSFORM’s support in scaling TrashCon’s waste segregation technology 100-fold in India and now, to reach across continents; therefore, bringing us closer to our mission of positively impacting lives through effective waste management. Our partnership with TakaTaka Ni Mali demonstrates the power of collaboration, showing how shared expertise and aligned purpose can accelerate progress and create lasting impact.”
The first TrashBot model concept will be showcased at a side event under the theme of Waste Management and Circular Economy, co-hosted by TakaTaka Ni Mali during the Kenya International Investment Conference (KIICO 2026) on 25 - 27 March. There are currently plans for two additional machines to be installed.
Will Kirk
Forster Communications
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