Close the Gap – Refurbishing Electronics to Close the Digital Divide
IT Asset Disposition: collecting used IT devices from corporate partners, conducting data wipes, refurbishing or recycling, deploying to impact projects.
Circular Entrepreneurship in Kenya
Welcome to Circular Entrepreneurship in Kenya. This on-the-ground series is recorded in Kenya and follows founders, fixers, traders, and community leaders who turn waste into value and shift systems from the bottom up.
Across the series you’ll hear what actually works in practice: secondhand markets and repair culture, plastic and e-waste recycling, partnerships with the informal sector, and how new rules like EPR play out day to day. Guests share the steps they took to start, fund, and grow circular ventures, plus the hurdles they faced along the way.
Real people. Clear lessons. Ideas you can use to build a more circular economy.
Episodes
9 episodes in this series
PadMad – Upcycling Textiles for Menstrual Health & Girl’s Education
This crisis leads to girls missing school and exams, forces them to improvise pads with unhygienic materials, and leaves them exposed to be taken advantage of.
Sea Ventures – Turning Fish Waste into Animal Feed
Sea Ventures upcycles 60-70% fish waste into animal feed - Kenya gap 33M tons (needs 55M, produces 22M). Women training, fishermen paid, closed loop model.
E-Waste Initiative Kenya – Repairing and Reusing Electronics
EWIK repairs refurbishes e-waste Nairobi/5 cities, 6-month youth training with young mothers childcare support, research mapping value chain for EPR prep.
Africa Collect Textiles and Green Forest Solutions – The need for global EPR systems
ACT tackles textile waste through collection/upcycling. Alternate EPR pilot: Netherlands schemes pay fees for Kenya-bound secondhand, funding infrastructure.
Mr Green Africa – Recyclates as cheap as Virgin Plastics
Mr. Green Africa navigates challenges of a fragmented supply chain, competes with the cost of virgin plastic, and plans to expand operations in East Africa.
Taka Taka Solutions – Waste Collection in Kenya
Taka Taka competes against $1/ton dump sites with zero gate fees - moved from premium to below-average pricing, now pivoting to compounding for resilience.
Dandora – A Tour through Kenya’s largest Dumpsite
Dandora Dumpsite waste pickers earn $2-3 daily facing toxic smoke and hierarchy. Cricket Writes shows how Artistic Junction builds community through art.
The State of the Circular Economy in Kenya
Kenya's 70% informal economy drives circular systems - plastic recycling 8-10%, secondhand markets, repair networks. Young population hustles waste into value.