Betzy Jematia Bowen
School of Physical and Geographical Sciences
Waste to Energy - it is all in our bin bags. Why are we not using it?
Making a transformation to a low carbon economy while ensuring the security of
energy supply is one of the greatest challenges facing many nations today. Rising
fuel costs and increased awareness of climate change are creating opportunities to
innovate approaches to provide low carbon energy at both the urban and household
levels. The solid waste industry in Kenya is a young and growing market with a
significant entry of new players from other sectors; however the adoption of waste to
energy initiatives has been faced with a myriad of challenges based on the
involvement of many actors from the industry, municipalities, interest groups and the
households. Unavailability of policy and legal frameworks that link waste
management with the environment and energy issues, limited technical and financial
capacity to plan for waste management, lack of data about the exact quantities ,
composition, value and the variations of municipal solid waste are just but a few of
the challenges. There is need for concerted efforts from the national government and
all the actors involved to build a strong regulatory framework, increase awareness,
build the capacity and provide incentives in order to promote waste to energy
initiatives in Kenya.
Postgraduate Conference 2016
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