Textile waste management in Kenya: : An investigation into the current practices and opportunities for improvement

Abstract

Production and consumption have contributed highly to the global economy and damaged the planet's ecosystem and resources. The textile industry, for instance,contributes to economic growth at the individual and international levels through revenues gained through employment creation. Over three hundred million individualsrely on this sector for their incomes, and in return, governments benefit from the taxes throughout the textile value chain. Despite being an important industry sector for developing and developed nations, the textile industry has contributed to environmental pollution. Worldwide clothing consumption has increased because of the accessibility of quickly evolving fashions and lower apparel prices. The change in fashion trends hasled to a rise in the consumption of used clothing in developed nations. Consequently,developing nations witness a surge in second-hand garments that often end up in landfills or water bodies due to in adequate waste management infrastructure.This thesis analysed the state of textile waste from second-hand clothes imported into the Republic of Kenya based on desk-based research and evaluation of the country’spolicies and regulations on textile waste management. Kenya’s economy benefits from the trade of second-hand clothes. However, due to a lack of waste regulations, the environment suffers the repercussions of poorly managed textile waste. Textile waste has not been given much focus in the country, and consumers lack awareness of the impact of improper disposal of clothes in open dumps. Although regional legislations are developed, and brands promote sustainability, they rarely are tailored to the specific needs of developing countries. This thesis recommends that international brands provide market access for waste textile recyclers as an essential means to aid these countries.Opportunities for recycling and reusing clothes exist, but proper measures for collecting textile waste must be implemented through legislation. As a low-middle-income country, this study recommends that Kenya’s primary focus on textile waste management should be on the proper collection methods to facilitate the recycling of waste from textiles.