By The Mountain Journal Crew
An artisan who turned into an environmental crusader in Nanyuki town has and devised ways of converting tonnes of waste at the dumpsite to valuable goods including paving blocks and compost manure is on the verge of getting lucrative supply contracts from the Laikipia county government.
Francis Thuti who converts waste of approximated between 35 and 40 tonnes daily has won praise from the devolved unit which has also recognised his help in rehabilitating youth who work in the dumpsite.
Thuti , 56, ventured into recycling waste when the Kenya Defence Force (KDF) called for the relocation the dumpsite as it was on the flight path to and from Laikipia Air Base and was attracting scavenging birds.
Thuti said he was grateful that the Nanyuki Water and Sewerage Company (Nawasco) has placed an order for the paving blocks for a project at its headquarters.
The environmental crusader is a household name for his mission in the cleaning and conservation of Nanyuki and Likii rivers before he turned to manufacturing cabros and tiles from the plastic waste collected at the dumpsite.
Thuti’s journey to the dumpsite started in 2019 after Nawasco allowed him to use a section at the Nanyuki sewerage plant to establish tree nurseries for the purpose of beautifying the town and its environs.
“I trained as a mason but along the way realized the lessons I learnt on the use of the appropriate technology, and have used it to make environmentally friendly products which have attracted the market,” said Thuti.
Laikipia county government deposits between 40 and 50 metric tonnes of waste into the dumpsite daily, with Thuti interested in plastics papers, bottles and other materials that can be recycled.
Speaking at the dumpsite, he said he has devised ways to utilise pampers and face masks in the production of cabros and wall tiles.
He is also faced with the challenge of dealing with old computers and sanitary pads dumped in the dumpsite.
“In the past, there was a conflict between the street dwellers involved in the collection of garbage and the residents near the locality. The conflict is now in the past, as I buy the waste from the youth who used to burn them attracting protests of daily smoke from the neighbours,” said the environmental crusader.
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