Waste has proven to be a resource that can be managed to achieve economic, social and environmental benefits. To achieve this, sustainable waste management campaigns, incentives and strategies that will advance Kenya and global countries towards a more sustainable and circular economy need to be launched urgently.
According to the United Nations Environmental Organization(UNEP), several countries are likely to benefit from waste management sensitization by government and non-governmental organizations. This will lead towards the realization of the zero waste principle that is also in line with Sustainable Development Goals.
The making of a regulatory framework on waste management is also likely to help countries focus more on creating economic growth, ensuring healthy waters, and building safe communities.
This means that national governments need to be encouraged to establish legal frameworks and take actions that will incentivize people, organizations and companies on the need to invest largely in the waste recovery and recycling industry.
They should create a regulatory environment that will enable people to effectively tackle the waste challenges through the systematic collection of waste sorted at source and disposal, processing activities aimed at reusing, recycling or composting waste materials into useful products or sources of energy.
This kind of policy and a regulatory environment is currently missing in most developing countries, Kenya being one of them. Therefore, for developing countries to promote sustainable waste management as an income-generating venture, there is a need for sensitization on the various value chains of waste.
What Design Can Do in partnership with Kenya Climate Innovation Centre(KCIC), has decided to launch the #NoWasteChallenge# to incentivize people that zero waste principle whereby waste generation is minimized or prevented, can be realized through innovative solutions.
They are incentivizing the whole world that it is definitely possible to handle waste responsibly, rethink our entire production and consumption cycle by generating new ideas that will in the long-run shift narratives, and facilitate alternative visions of the future.
The #NoWasteChallenge# registrations are currently ongoing and will run from 1st February 2021 to 1st April 2021. Innovative students, creatives, upcoming entrepreneurs and even existing companies are urged to apply and submit their projects here: https://nowaste.whatdesigncando.com/about/
