• last year
Electronic waste is a big problem in Africa. Unfortunately, a lot gets sent from richer countries, often illegally, and ends up in landfills. If electronics aren't disposed of properly, the chemicals inside can poison the air, soil and water. We meet a man who saves old electronics from the junkheap.
Transcript
00:00 The Earth's natural resources are finite.
00:04 Wait, all of them?
00:07 As long as there are people, one resource won't ever run out.
00:11 Excrement.
00:12 A company in Kenya has specialized in the treatment and recycling of fecal sludge.
00:18 After exposing it to high heat to remove harmful pathogens, the raw material is processed into
00:24 briquettes.
00:25 The first reaction you always get is curiosity.
00:29 You see, when you meet an idea that you previously didn't think it was possible, then you find
00:35 that not only is it possible, there is even a model to do it profitably, to recover some
00:41 value and generate some revenue from waste.
00:48 The company is based in Naivasha, some 90 kilometers west of Nairobi.
00:53 Truck drivers visit the surrounding communities collecting fecal waste from latrines in private
00:58 households.
00:59 The waste water would otherwise simply seep away, as the sewage system here is only partially
01:05 developed.
01:06 John Kariuki has been working here for three years, and he's impressed with the process.
01:12 At first I thought it was bad, maybe unhealthy or even damaging.
01:18 I was surprised to find out that it doesn't produce smoke and it's free from harmful gases.
01:23 Fecal has carbon monoxide, but briquettes don't.
01:32 Twelve truckloads of fecal sludge are collected every month.
01:36 Each contains around 20,000 liters.
01:39 The company has built most of the latrines itself, an investment that should pay off
01:43 in the long term, according to Gladys Kivati.
01:47 She advises companies that want to become more sustainable.
01:50 For her, Sanivation is a highly promising model.
01:56 Another way is through collaboration with the municipal council, because they are designated
02:01 places for disposal of this waste in a safe way.
02:05 And that's why having partnering with the county governments to just ensure safe treatment,
02:11 safe disposal and safe treatment of this waste is one of the biggest solutions that they
02:18 can actually achieve for them to scale this, rather than having to build toilets in each
02:24 and every home.
02:26 So far, Sanivation's pilot project has been going well.
02:29 The locals are pleased too.
02:31 All sorts of garbage ends up in the waste water, including plastic.
02:35 All that is separated out of the sludge that's collected.
02:39 We are providing them with safely managed sanitation.
02:41 We are taking away the waste that would have otherwise caused disease and polluted the
02:45 environment.
02:46 In the communities we work in, we have also provided employment, directly and indirectly.
02:52 Indirectly, the company provides work for around 100 people and employs 56 responsible
02:58 for the various stages of the process.
03:01 First the liquid is separated from the solid and then the liquid is taken to the county
03:05 waste management plant.
03:07 The solid is heated to several hundred degrees, then it's processed and mixed with biomass,
03:13 usually sawdust.
03:15 The final briquettes contain 5 to 30 percent dried feces.
03:19 The company produces around 100 tons of poop-fueled briquettes every month.
03:25 John Karayuki says there are benefits to using briquettes even for cooking.
03:33 It's more efficient, it lasts longer and it cooks food well among other fuel uses.
03:38 Charcoal has had harmful effects, it has even caused death.
03:42 But briquettes are clean to use and have no harmful emissions.
03:49 A few restaurants in Naivasha are also using the briquettes, including this cafe.
03:55 Before they used firewood for their stone oven, but that was more expensive and hard
04:00 to come by in the rainy season.
04:03 So you'll find us struggling to get a supply of firewood, the supply will dwindle, it will
04:08 be smoky inside this place because of the quality of firewood.
04:13 When we switch to briquettes, you can even see from behind me that the smoke is less,
04:19 they consume it for a long time, they are consumer friendly.
04:26 Even if it doesn't sound too appetizing, the pizza tastes just as good.
04:30 The company hopes that this unlimited alternative fuel will one day be as common as coal and
04:36 firewood are today.

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