Investigating the feasibility of automating disposals, collections and bin capacity monitoring in Nairobi, Kenya

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Increasing the rate of recycling, a key component of circular waste management, is central to addressing the global environmental crisis. The World Bank (**What a Waste 2.0 - A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050**) projects that the 2.01bn tonnes of waste generated annually will rise to 3.40bn tonnes by 2050\.Developing countries such as Kenya are particularly adversely affected by the serious health and environmental consequences of inefficiently managed waste, which is either openly incinerated or illegally dumped. Nairobi County Government in Kenya reports that only 38% waste is collected, of which just 10% is recycled.In response to the increasing amount of waste generated by a growing population, the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has launched an initiative to improve sanitation in the county. NMS plans to build waste storage stations across the country. Other Kenyan initiatives include the 2019 Sustainable Waste Management Bill and Ministry of Environment 2021 circular economy awareness campaign.De Graft Management (DGM) is a Property and Asset Management software specialist. We work with stakeholders in Kenya who are yet to use technology to manage their buildings and related services. This year, in response to stakeholder requirements, we have started to develop AI-enabled waste technology to efficiently manage the solid waste generated from their buildings.Our study builds on the progress we have already made by investigating the feasibility of incorporating additional functionality into the DGM waste management modules to track Nairobi's waste schedules, collections and disposals by:\*Mapping collection agents' journeys to drop-off and collection points (buildings)\*Enabling waste generators to locate nearest drop-offs and collection centres; scan and upload data; and arrange collections\*Monitoring waste bin capacity to optimise schedulesOur idea is innovative because we are developing affordable, user-centred and locally supported waste management technology specifically developed for Kenya with long-term plans to scale the DGM technology across Africa.