Effectiveness of waste management practices for end-of-life vehicle components in the city of Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Similar, to many other developing countries, Kenya is a major market of second-hand (used) cars from Europe and Japan, which is likely to cause serious environmental effects since the rise of the older motor vehicle population in the country results in the volume of End-of-Life Vehicles’ (ELV) waste. There is therefore need to assess the ELV waste streams in the country. This study aimed at assessing the ELVs Environmental Management Systems in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study used mixed research methods. A sample size of 62 firms comprising of 32 garages, 15 insurance firms, and 15 salvage companies was selected from Nairobi City County, using a stratified and convenient sampling techniques.. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the required information from firm owners and/or managers, and descriptive statistical techniques comprising of frequency tables, percentages, pie charts, and bar graphs were used to summarize, present, and analyse the information in an informative way. Research findings indicated that the ELV waste products were associated with four main waste streams mainly, the insurance firms, garages and salvage companies and vehicle junk yards. The practices employed to manage ELV waste included contracting salvage firms to collect written off vehicles by insurance companies, recycling of salvaged parts, selling the usable parts to dealers of vehicle parts, and disposal of non-salvageable parts including hazardous products via firm mechanisms such as collecting the material and putting fluids in tanks and disposing them off in designated dumpsites. The findings of the research were that management of ELV waste in Nairobi City County was inadequate, with most waste streams, especially garages and salvage firms lacking formal ELV management plans, and disposal of hazardous material pauses a great danger to environmental health. It is recommended that stringent waste management policies and guidelines for the salvage companies and garages should be put in place to mitigate against environmental pollution.