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Trading waste for water
The Citizen
|August 26, 2025
RECYCLED PLASTIC: INNOVATIVE PROJECT HELPS SLUM DWELLERS ACCESS BASIC SERVICES
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Using a crutch to bear her weight, 85-year-old Molly Aluoch trudges from her mud-walled room on the outskirts of a sprawling Nairobi slum, shouldering a sack of used plastic to exchange for a shower or a safe toilet.
For the 31 years she has lived in Kibera, Kenya's largest informal settlement, water and sanitation have remained scarce and costly — often controlled by cartels who charge residents prices beyond their means.
The Human Needs Project seeks to mitigate that. Residents can trade discarded plastic for "green points", or credits, they can redeem for services such as drinking water, toilets, showers, laundries and even meals.
"With my green points, I can now access a comfortable and clean toilet and bathroom any time of the day," Aluoch said.
This story is from the August 26, 2025 edition of The Citizen.
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