Ecosystem Restoration Kenya Project #54689

Clean a river in Migingo & stop plastic pollution

by Smart Villages Foundation

Project Report | Mar 5, 2025
Recycling continues apace in Nairobi

By Kirsten Rachman | Assistant Project Manager

A community clean up operation

Hello friends,

Since we last updated you in November, work has continued in Kenya to expand the recycling facilities and processing plants that had been destroyed by the flooding earlier this year.

Indeed, the hard work of the team on the ground has had some incredible impacts, despite the tough conditions. We are proud to report that in 2024, 15 successful clean-up events and partnerships were launched that empowered more than 20,000 community members to participate actively in managing and cleaning plastic waste in different communities in Kenya. We also launched “River Warrior” initiatives that brought up 2,500 youths to clean different sections of the rivers. A total of 85 metric tons of plastic waste was collected through the various community engagement and cleanup programs. The collected plastic waste was repurposed into different construction materials at the Chemolex recycling facility.

In addition, 5,500 metric tons of plastic waste have been repurposed into products such as paver blocks, fencing poles, and construction lumber. The improved infrastructure is essential in supporting effective collection systems that ensure plastic waste is segregated correctly and sorted before being recycled/repurposed into different valuable products.

It doesn’t stop here, however. With your continued support, throughout 2025 we plan to complete the rebuild of the Community parks by removing all the debris brought by the floods and complete the establishment of a plastic recycling hub for community exhibition and sharing knowledge on different aspects of plastic waste repurposing and recycling, amongst other goals. This will help to continue the long term sustainability of the project, as well as continue the hard work of cleaning up the river.

As ever, we thank you for your continued support. If you would like to share this project with your friends and family, we, and the Chemolex team in Kenya, would be extremely grateful.

Best wishes

Kirsten and the SVRG Team

Plastic and other waste ready for sorting

Paver blocks outside the Chemolex factory

Links:

Chemolex's website

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Nov 5, 2024
Flood Repairs and Recommencing Work

By Kirsten Rachman | Assistant Project Manager

Jul 8, 2024
Catastrophic Floods in Kenya Cause Damage

By Bernie Jones | Project Leader

Communities flooded in Nairobi

Hello Friends,

We have some sad news to report this time, I'm afraid. Earlier this year Nairobi experienced some catastrophic rains and flooding, which have destroyed many of the riverside sites that our partners and the communities have been working on so diligently for years.

Many thousands of people living by the riverside have lost their homes, children have lost their schoolbooks, and the floodwaters brought about a great deal of ill health!

Looking on the positive side, the experience that our partners and we have gained, and the experience that the local communities have developed, will mean that we can hopefully build back better and quicker than the first time around. In addition, the local government and the Nairobi Rivers Commission have taken the opportunity (partly as a result of the environmental championship we have been able to demonstrate with the riverside communities in recent years) to develop a strategy for protecting the riverside environment. They will create and maintain a green "corridor" 30-60m wide around the river, and ensure this is kept clear of development. Drawing inspirations from the riverside gardens we had been creating, this will mean that communities are less prone to flooding, and that less rubbish ends up in the rivers. Because of our experience, we hope to partner with the Commission, and our local community partners, to help create these buffer zones.

In the meantime, if you are able to share this project with friends and family, we will be using funds raised to help the displaced flood-affected families, as well as creating new community facilities alongside the green buffer zones by the riversides.

The riverside communities of Nairobi and we all thank you for your help and ongoing support.

Best regards

Damage to riverside gardens and facilities

Damaged plastic-capture device from the floods

Flood-damaged previously-paved riverside walkway

Flood damage and new riverside buffer zone

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