The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) in partnership with the Kisii county government has sensitised the residents of Kisii on the importance of segregating waste, particularly at the household level.
The initiative was flagged off by the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Grace Nyarango, who encouraged the county government to continuously educate the people on how to manage waste within Kisii county.
Led by the county enforcement officers, various stakeholders marched around Kisii town raising awareness about waste management and urging the business operators to acquire appropriate bins to sort waste.
Speaking during the sensitisation forum, the County’s NEMA Director Simon Tonui shared the approved colour-coding scheme for waste management by NEMA for effective waste segregation and management.
“The three bins as gazetted by NEMA include the green bin for biodegradable waste products like food remains, the black bin for non-recyclable waste like diapers, and the blue bin for recyclable waste like plastics,” he explained.
On his part, the Township Assistant County Commissioner, Edwin Mutiso, who represented the County Commissioner, noted the Climate Workx initiative that was announced by President William Ruto during the Madaraka Day celebrations in Homa Bay will play a critical role in creating jobs for the youth and promoting environmental conservation.
“This initiative is being supported by the Governor and will make Kisii county clean as well as create employment opportunities for our young people,” Mutiso said.
Notably, the County Government of Kisii is currently operating a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) at the Kisii Agricultural Training Centre on the outskirts of Kisii town.
The facility’s aim is to sort, separate and recycle waste.
This comes after the county relocated the Nyambera dumpsite in 2022 amid health concerns and turned the site into a recreational centre.
World Environment Day is usually marked on the 5th of June of every year, with this year’s theme focusing on a call to protect and take urgent action against plastic pollution to prevent environmental degradation.
By Sandra Orina and Gideon Gwaro
