Earth Day 2026: manage waste to protect nature and communities

As the world marks International Mother Earth Day 2026, the message is clear, nature is under pressure.

From rising temperatures to flooding and pollution, ecosystems are sending urgent signals. In Korogocho, one of Nairobi’s largest informal settlements, that message is being met with action.

Through the Waste Wise Nairobi – Korogocho Chapter project, a partnership led by AVSI Foundation alongside UN-Habitat, the Nairobi City County Government, Miss Koch Kenya and funded by the Italian Cooperation, a new model of community-driven waste management is taking shape, one that is restoring dignity, creating livelihoods, and protecting the environment.

Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, generates approximately 4,000 tons of waste daily, yet only 65% is collected and just 5% recycled. In informal settlements like Korogocho, the absence of structured waste systems has long meant poor sanitation, environmental degradation, and limited economic opportunity.

The Waste Wise Nairobi initiative set out to change this reality by establishing a coordinated municipal solid waste system, linking households, community groups, recyclers, and government into one functioning ecosystem.

At the center of this transformation is the first Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in an informal settlement in Nairobi a three-storey structure designed not only for waste sorting and aggregation, but also as a hub for community engagement and enterprise.

Before the project, waste in Korogocho was largely unsegregated and frequently dumped or transported to the Dandora Dumpsite. Today, the system has shifted.

This system has reduced inefficiencies, improved material value, and created a structured pathway for waste to move from households to recycling markets.

For Geofrey Otieno, the transformation is deeply personal. What began as tree planting in 2017 has evolved into leadership within an umbrella association coordinating waste management across Korogocho.

Today, the association manages the Material Recovery Facility, ensuring waste is sorted, valued, and sold efficiently, while reducing exploitation by middlemen. Waste pickers now operate within a structured system guided by governance frameworks, financial management, and shared accountability.

Beyond its environmental role, the facility has become a social and economic hub, hosting meetings, awareness sessions, and generating income for sustainability.

Geofrey sees this work as a direct response to climate realities already affecting the community, particularly flooding and unpredictable weather patterns.

For Mercy Atieno, a mother of five, the Waste Wise project has transformed not just waste systems, but lives.

After years of struggle, including working informal jobs under difficult conditions, she found stability through a waste picking group that became her support system. Today, as chairlady of her group, she leads a buy-back center for plastics, supported by improved systems such as record keeping, savings schemes, and customer verification.

With waste now segregated at source, her group can better identify value, diversify materials, and increase efficiency. Their work has expanded to include drainage cleaning services, directly addressing flooding and environmental health in the community.

Through structured systems and partnerships with the recovery facility, Mercy and her team now operate with greater transparency, improved income flows, and renewed dignity.

While inorganic waste is sorted and sold, organic waste is being transformed through innovation.

Faries Kahuha, chairman of Kombgreen Organization, leads a Black Soldier Fly pilot initiative, a nature-based solution that converts food waste into animal feed and organic manure.

Using larvae that consume organic waste, the system creates a closed-loop cycle: reducing waste, lowering farming costs, and supporting urban agriculture. What was once discarded is now a resource.

The initiative, supported under the project, demonstrates how circular economy models can work even in resource-constrained environments.

Beyond waste, Faries, through Kombgeen initiatives, equips youth with skills in farming, sustainability, and entrepreneurship, offering alternatives to crime and unemployment.

The Waste Wise Nairobi project goes beyond infrastructure. It is built on capacity development and community ownership:

This integrated approach ensures that waste management is not just a service, but a locally owned system with long-term sustainability.

As cities worldwide grapple with waste and environmental degradation, Korogocho offers a key lesson: solutions must be inclusive, community-driven, and circular.

The Waste Wise Nairobi – Korogocho Chapter project is already delivering results, cleaner environments, improved livelihoods, and stronger community systems. More importantly, it provides a replicable model for other informal settlements in Nairobi and beyond.

On this International Mother Earth Day, the story of Korogocho is one of hope.

It is a reminder that restoring ecosystems does not begin in distant policies, but in communities, through everyday actions: separating waste, organizing systems, and reimagining what is possible.

In Korogocho, waste is no longer just a problem; it is becoming a pathway to dignity, to opportunity, and to a more sustainable future for both people and the planet.

At the first Earth Day in 1970, an estimated 20 million Americans participated. They took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy environment and to participate in teach-ins. The April 22 date was selected in part because it fell between colleges' spring break and final exams.