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Taka Taka Solutions - Waste Collection in Kenya
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/
One-page Summary
Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/taka-taka-solutions-waste-collection-in-kenya/
View all episodes
By Patrick Hypscher
5
11 ratings
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/
One-page Summary
Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/taka-taka-solutions-waste-collection-in-kenya/