Circular Entrepreneurship in Kenya
What does it take to operate a waste management company in a market where you have to compete with a dump site fee of just one dollar per ton?
In this episode, Daniel Paffenholz from Taka Taka Solutions details the realities of building an integrated waste management and recycling company in Kenya. He explains the immense challenge of scaling in a heavily fragmented and informal market, where you must compete against hundreds of other operators.
We discuss the entire operational flow, from collection and sorting at their material recovery facility. Daniel describes the economic pressures of operating without gate fees and the strategic necessity to move beyond simple recycling into value-added compounding to build resilience against global market shifts.
Recorded on site in Nairobi, this episode provides a ground-level view of the complexities and strategic decisions involved in the waste management industry in an emerging market.
People Daniel Paffenholz, at Taka Taka Solutions https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-paffenholz-54446412a/ Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/
Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:28 Taka Taka Solutions Business Model 03:13 Waste Management in Kenya 07:04 How Taka Taka Started 08:48 Taka Taka Operations 12:26 Differences Between Waste Streams 17:40 Waste Management Industry Challenges 27:49 Policy Impact: Plastics Ban 30:46 Future Direction of Taka Taka 33:25 Who Should Reach Out to Taka Taka
About TakaTaka Solutions runs a vertically integrated waste-management model: collection, sorting, in-house recycling (including flexible plastics), and composting, serving households and corporate clients across Nairobi. The company reports handling roughly 50–60 tonnes/day and more than 20,000 customers, with operations that include pelletizing plastics and producing compost from organics. It complements municipal gaps by buying from waste pickers and offering client recycling reports, positioning itself as a leading end-to-end player since 2011. Their recent work also extends to on-site sorting for manufacturers and organics upcycling in partnership projects. Governance and workforce claims emphasize formal jobs and significant participation of women in operations
Further Links https://takatakasolutions.com/
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