Circularity.fm

How to create a successful circular hub for electronics that holistically integrates social and commercial aspects into the model?

In this episode, we speak with Timothy Washira, Operations Manager at Close the Gap's Circular Economy Hub in Mombasa, Kenya.

Close the Gap first started in Belgium in 2003 with the mission to provide high-quality pre-owned computers and bridge the digital divide. The organization started its first operations in Kenya in 2019 in Nairobi, before moving the Circular Economy Hub to a bigger, state-of-the-art facility in Mombasa in 2020.

The Circular Economy Hub is the logistics backbone for Close the Gap in Kenya. Its focus is on IT Asset Disposition which involves collecting used IT devices from corporate partners in Kenya, conducting data wipe processes; refurbishing or recycling the devices, and deploying the pre-owned high quality devices to impact projects.

Timothy talks about how Close the Gap is driving socio-economic transformation through for example, its incubator space and the BOOST program.

Listen to hear how Close the Gap integrates commercial success with social impact, creating jobs, promoting the circular economy, and empowering over 6 million people with access to technology and skills.

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Ian Kiptoo, Operations Manager at Close the Gap

Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert

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This cutting-edge facility specialises in IT Asset Disposition (ITAD), collecting used corporate IT equipment, conducting data wiping, and refurbishing devices that is then deployed to bridge the digital divide in local impact projects, such as schools and youth correctional facilities. Beyond hardware, Close the Gap Kenya drives socio-economic transformation through its BOOST+ program, which supports young entrepreneurs and women along the Kenyan coastline with training in digital skills, financial literacy, and business management, and by deploying the Impact Accelerator Fund (IAF) to provide strategic capital and mentorship to innovative startups in sectors like the circular economy and green tech, directly contributing to job creation and boosting the local economy.

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How can a reusable pad company address education, employment, and environmental waste simultaneously?

In this episode, Madhvi Dalal, founder of PadMad, talks about why and how she built a social enterprise to tackle period poverty in Kenya, a country where 65% of women and girls cannot afford menstrual products. This crisis leads to girls missing school and exams, forces them to improvise pads with unhygienic materials, and leaves them exposed to be taken advantage of.

Madhvi walks us through PadMad's three-pillar focus: education, running workshops in schools and workplaces to break stigma and provide information. Empowerment, employing marginalised women to manufacture the pads. And environment, creating reusable pads from textile waste to reduce plastic pollution.

You'll also hear how this model has scaled to impact over 150,000 people and prevented millions of disposable pads from polluting Kenya's environment.

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Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert

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How can fish waste solve a national animal feed crisis and empower local communities?

In this episode, Faith Mwende from Sea Ventures explains how her startup tackles the massive post-harvest losses in Kenya's fishing industry, where 60-70% of the catch becomes waste.

You'll hear how Sea Ventures creates a circular economy model by collecting this fish waste and processing it into high-quality animal feed, directly addressing Kenya's scarcity of animal feed. Faith also talks about the company's social impact, which includes creating jobs, providing training in sustainable farming, and empowering women in both the fishing and agricultural sectors.

Recorded in Mombasa, Kenya, this episode showcases a local solution that integrates environmental action with economic and community development.

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Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert

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How do you build a sustainable e-waste management system in Kenya?

In this episode, Jane Muriithi and Thuo Lawrence from E-waste Initiative Kenya (EWIK) talk about their approach to e-waste management across Kenya. Jane describes EWIK's collection model through drop-off points and door-to-door pickups across multiple cities, their repair and refurbishment process, and the challenges of managing different materials when items can't be repaired.

You'll also hear about EWIK's skills training programs for youth, including e-waste handling and ICT repair, with specific support for young mothers through onsite childcare, entrepreneurship courses, and mentorship. Thuo explains their research mapping Kenya's e-waste value chain through stakeholder interviews to inform Extended Producer Responsibility schemes.

Listen to know how to build environmental and social impact through e-waste management, and to understand why partnerships necessary to scale e-waste recycling across East Africa.

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Jane Muriithi, E-waste Initiative Kenya (EWIK)

Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert

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Its services encompass the entire e-waste lifecycle, including training, collection, processing, and safe disposal, while promoting environmental sustainability and youth empowerment through skills development. EWIK is committed to creating a circular economy by addressing electronic waste challenges in Kenya and beyond.

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How can we transform the textile industry in Kenya to embrace a circular economy?

In this episode, Alex Musembi from Africa Collect Textiles (ACT) and Sarah Njau from Green Forest Solutions discuss their collaborative efforts to streamline textile recycling and reuse in Kenya. Alex describes ACT's model of collecting post-consumer textiles through drop-off points and door-to-door pickups, sorting them for resale and upcycling, and the challenges of incentivizing proper disposal.

Sarah explains the role of Green Forest Solutions in helping set up Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, which are vital for funding the infrastructure needed for effective textile waste management.

They both highlight the impact of fast fashion, the need for better product design, and the importance of international partnerships to sustain these environmental initiatives. This episode sheds light on the intricate dynamics of the textile recycling market in Kenya and the global efforts required to support it.

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Sarah Njau, Africa Collect Textiles, Green Forest Solutions

Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert

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Green Forest Solutions in Kenya provides digital tools and services for circular economy, focused on waste flow management, product traceability, and environmental compliance. Their platform connects brands, waste operators, and manufacturers to streamline reporting, lifecycle tracking, and regulatory tasks, supporting EPR and access to recycled materials across emerging markets. The company helps clients efficiently meet producer responsibility and sustainability requirements through a centralised, digital infrastructure.

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How do you build a circular economy for plastic that includes the informal sector?

In this episode, Keiran Smith from Mr. Green Africa explains their approach to plastic recycling, which is built on integrating the informal waste collection sector into a formal business. Keiran details their model: a decentralized system of buy-back centers that use a proprietary app for transparent payments, a processing facility that turns collected plastic into pellets, and direct partnerships with corporations who use the recycled material in their packaging.

You'll hear how Mr. Green Africa navigates the challenges of a fragmented supply chain, competes with the cost of virgin plastic, and plans to expand its operations from Kenya into other markets in East Africa.

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Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert

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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.

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What does it take to build community in one of Africa's largest dumpsites?

In this episode, Cricket Writes from The Artistic Junction Collective talks about the reality of daily life at Dandora Dumpsite and community efforts to create change through art and collective action. Cricket walks us through the physical site and the social structures that govern it: the hierarchy between "big fish" and ordinary waste pickers, the struggle for school fees, and the dangers workers face without compensation or protection.

You'll hear how The Artistic Junction Collective uses theatre, film, and poetry to address gender-based violence, provide alternatives to crime for youth, and work towards establishing a community art centre that offers residents a space to tell their own stories.

Participating in this episode are also Geoffrey Karani, Kennedy Kiige, Wambui Gitangu, Susan Nyambura, and Ann Mega.

Recorded on site at Dandora Dumpsite in Nairobi, Kenya, this episode showcases the harsh realities of working in waste and how communities respond to systemic neglect with creativity and solidarity.

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Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert

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Working within this environment are community-based initiatives such as The Artistic Junction Collective. Led by poet and activist Cricket Writes, the collective uses theatre, film, poetry, and visual arts to address social issues affecting the community, from gender-based violence to lack of opportunities for youth. They organise performances, create films about local realities, and are working to establish a community art centre that can serve as an empowerment space for residents. Through creative expression and community organising, they offer alternatives to crime and provide platforms for residents to tell their own stories.

Participating in this episode are also Geoffrey Karani, Kennedy Kiige, Wambui Gitangu, Susan Nyambura, and Ann Mega.

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Can circular entrepreneurship reshape Kenya’s waste economy?

In this episode, Richard Kainika (Kenya Association of Waste Recyclers), David Ongare (National Environment Management Authority), and Hanna Dittmeyer (AHK Services Eastern Africa Ltd) share how Kenya is building circular systems from the ground up through informal networks, selective regulation, and everyday business ingenuity.

From secondhand markets and plastic recycling to extended producer responsibility and policy enforcement, Kenya’s circular economy is already in motion. But challenges remain, especially in waste infrastructure and electronic waste management.

Recorded live in Kenya, this episode opens the Circularity.fm series on circularity in Kenya, spotlighting how local actors are turning waste into value and shifting systems from the bottom up.

People

Hanna Dittmeyer, Head of the Competence Centre Energy, Environment and Sustainable Economy of the AHK Services Eastern Africa Ltd at Kenya Association of Waste Recyclers.

Richard Kainika,  Secretary General of the Kenya Association of Waste Recyclers.

Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert

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David Ongare is Director of Compliance at Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the government’s lead agency for supervising and coordinating environmental matters under the Environmental Management and Coordination Act.

Hannah Dittmeyer heads the Competence Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainable Economy at the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce for Eastern Africa, which supports bilateral business relations and circular economy ventures across Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

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How can we create a business case for restoring nature instead of exploiting it?

In this episode, Thomas Norman from EcoTree explains how to turn environmental action from a cost into an asset by making people actual owners of trees. Inspired by Denmark's successful bottle recycling system that achieves 92% return rates through financial incentives, Norman shows how this approach can be applied to forestry by allowing individuals and companies to buy trees and claim both environmental benefits and future timber revenues.

In his keynote, you'll hear more about the financial incentives that drive environmental behavior, tree ownership as an investment model, and market-based solutions for scaling sustainable forestry initiatives. Norman also explores how capitalism's core concepts like property law and market mechanisms can democratise nature investment and scale conservation efforts.

Recorded live at the LOOP Forum 2025, this episode features key insights and ideas from this year's leading Nordic conference on circularity.

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