Skip to content
WasteSeverity: High

Waste management and the Dandora dumpsite in Nairobi

Much of Nairobi's waste ends up at a large, long-overfilled open dumpsite in the east of the city.

Nairobi · Kenya

01 · The problem

What is happening

The Dandora dumpsite has served as Nairobi's main disposal site for decades and has long exceeded its intended capacity. Open burning, leachate and uncontrolled scavenging create health and environmental risks for surrounding communities, while informal waste pickers recover recyclable materials. Kenya introduced one of the world's strictest bans on plastic carrier bags in 2017, and passed the Sustainable Waste Management Act in 2022 to move toward segregation, recycling and extended producer responsibility.

High severity. Serious, widespread effects requiring sustained action. Severity is descriptive editorial metadata summarising documented effects. It is not a measured index or a score.

02 · Causes

Why it is happening

  1. 01

    Rapid urban growth

    Waste generation has grown faster than collection and disposal capacity.

  2. 02

    Limited sanitary landfill capacity

    Without an engineered landfill, waste is dumped in the open.

  3. 03

    Low source segregation

    Mixed waste reduces recycling rates and increases volumes sent to dumpsites.

03 · Impacts

Who and what it affects

  1. 01

    Air pollution from burning

    Fires at the dumpsite release smoke and toxic compounds.

  2. 02

    Health risks to nearby residents

    Communities near the dumpsite face respiratory and other health risks.

  3. 03

    Water contamination

    Leachate can pollute the nearby Nairobi River.

04 · Solutions

Documented approaches

  1. Plastic carrier bag ban

    A 2017 ban on the manufacture, sale and use of plastic carrier bags.

    Expected effectReduced a highly visible form of plastic litter.

  2. Sustainable Waste Management Act

    A 2022 law requiring segregation at source and producer responsibility.

    Expected effectProvides a framework for reducing waste sent to dumpsites.

  3. Supporting waste pickers and recyclers

    Integrating informal recyclers into formal systems with safer conditions.

    Expected effectIncreases material recovery while protecting livelihoods.

Explore an illustrative What-If

05 · Key indicators

What can be measured

Policy milestone
Plastic carrier bag ban2017

Kenya's national ban enforced by the National Environment Management Authority.

06 · Sources

Where this comes from

  1. [1]National Environment Management AuthorityGovernment of Kenyanema.go.ke(opens in a new tab)
  2. [2]What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050World Bank · Sept 2018openknowledge.worldbank.org(opens in a new tab)
  3. [3]UN Environment ProgrammeUnited Nations Environment Programmeunep.org(opens in a new tab)

Links open the publishing organisation's site. Some point to the publisher's main page, where the named report or dataset can be found.

Also in Nairobi

Waste elsewhere