At the Dandora garbage dump in Nairobi, a mound of refuse is emitting acrid fumes.
Fresh pickings for the Marabou stalks and those searching the trash for recyclable goods are plastic, glass, and even medical waste.
For a living, the women sort through the trash, often using just their hands.
At the dump, a kilogram of recyclable plastic garbage costs 17 shillings (0.14 USD).
Depending on size, a bag of recyclable plastic costs between 5 and 50 shillings (0.042 and 0.42 USD).
“Typically, we search for bones, plastic bottles, carton boxes, gunny sacks, and pig chow. But because we don’t wear gloves or gumboots for protection, we occasionally sustain injuries from broken glass. We are truly in pain “Mariam Makeba, an unemployed rubbish collector, adds.
For these women, who believe they have no choice but to labor at the dump, cuts from glass pose the least threat.
As early as 2007, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) issued a warning that the Dandora dump constituted a major health risk to individuals who worked and lived nearby.
Additionally, a report released in December 2020 by The Endocrine Society and IPEN ((International Pollutants Elimination Network)) found evidence of adverse effects on human health from numerous chemicals present in common plastics, including changes to both male and female reproductive development and infertility.
Winfred Wanjira, a mother of six, works long hours collecting recyclable plastics in order to provide for her family.
“You might unintentionally lose your pregnancy occasionally. However, you can have a successful pregnancy if you modify your surroundings. However, if you try to alter your environment, you might not have enough job options and your kids might go hungry, leaving you with little choice but to return “she claims.
“We’ve been told by medical professionals to quit working at the landfill. But if I were to leave this job, where would I go?”
Joyce Wangari, a 24-year-old waste collector, claims that she is also having problems with her reproductive system.
“Even though I don’t use contraception, I typically get my period every three months. However, I once suffered a brain injury and had to leave my home for three months. During that time, I also started my period “says informal waste collector Joyce Wangari.
Approximately 10,000 women, children, and a few men scavenge through the garbage every day at the Dandora dumpsite, according to a 2012 investigation by Concern Worldwide.
In 1996, the location was judged to be full, although dozens of pickers continue to roam.
And they continue to run even though an Environment and Land court ruled that the dumpsite must be closed in July 2021.
The UNEP warns that the Dandora landfill’s air pollution creates a variety of health dangers to both its employees and the neighborhood.
According to the organization, a lot of waste items are poisonous and individuals breathe in harmful gases from methane fires and normal rubbish burning.
Skin disorders, cancers, respiratory abnormalities, and blood disorders are just a few of the public health consequences that can be brought about by environmental pollution coming from the dump site, according to a UNEP report titled “Implications of the Dandora Municipal Dumping Site in Nairobi, Kenya.”
It continues by saying that heavy metals at large concentrations, as is the case in contaminated environments, can have an impact on public health.
“The majority of the time, the ladies working at the dumpsite are really inhaling and eating the heavy elements lead and mercury. Not only does it have an impact on reproductive health, but it also has an impact on women, with the majority of them developing cancer. Keep in mind that one of the main elements linked to cancer is mercury. lead similarly, “Jacqueline Naulikha, a Maasai Mara University public health nurse, explains.
Samples taken from the garbage dump for mercury showed a value of 46.7 ppm, whereas those taken from the river bank showed a value of 18.6 ppm. The WHO’s recommended exposure standard of 2 ppm was considerably exceeded by both of these readings.
Lead levels in soil tests varied from 50 to 590 parts per million (ppm). Samples of soil taken from the garbage dump revealed a value of 13,500 ppm. According to UNEP, this is a blatant indicator that the dumpsite is the primary cause of the elevated lead levels reported in the neighborhood.
Because lead can be detrimental to human health even at low exposure levels, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has set the maximum contamination level objective for lead in drinking water at zero.
“So, if a woman has cancer but is unaware of it, her menstrual cycle is typically the first item to be impacted. Heavy bleeding may be one of the initial symptoms. If she experiences significant bleeding that is irregular, it may be an early sign that she is indeed suffering from cancer, particularly cancer of the reproductive system “Naulikha adds.
“It might impact the fruitful window. Due to the effects of mercury and lead, a woman’s ovulation and ability to become pregnant will be damaged, and you may find that the majority of the women who work at Dandora never have children “Adds she.
Kenya’s 2021 Sustainable Waste Management Bill outlined county governments’ goals for waste management infrastructure to support source segregation, collection, reuse, and provision of central collection centers for recyclable materials in an effort to improve waste management.
And at its meeting in Nairobi on March 2 of this year (2022), the United Nations Environment Assembly resolved to start talks for a global agreement to eradicate plastic pollution.
The Center for Environmental Justice and Development’s (CEJAD) Dorothy Otieno, project officer for programs on plastics and trash management, describes the potential changes that could result from this.
“The UNEA resolution to prevent plastic pollution has had a number of positive effects, one of which is the increased respect for waste pickers. Since waste pickers have so much knowledge from working in the dumps, the intergovernmental negotiating committees must learn from their experiences “she claims.
“Additionally, they are acknowledged as having a crucial role in the established waste management system. In light of this, we are hopeful that nations like Kenya will join the (inaudible) in formalizing and including waste pickers in all policy and waste management procedures.”
A glimpse of hope for the future, but even today, despite being aware of the serious health risks that visiting this dump poses, women, children, and men continue to come. It is the only way they can provide for their families.
