IPPNW- MSSR UON WASTE MANAGEMENT CAMPAIGN 2026
There are some weeks that pass quietly and disappear into routine. And then there are weeks that leave footprints behind. Our Waste Management Campaign was one of those weeks.
What began as a simple waste management initiative slowly transformed into something far bigger, a conversation about humanity, responsibility, public health, and the future we are building for ourselves. Organized by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW-MSSR) University of Nairobi Chapter, alongside collaborating campus clubs and environmental organizations, the campaign brought together students, advocates, and change makers determined to prove that environmental action is not separate from healthcare. It is healthcare.
Monday and Tuesday :The Social Media Takeover
The campaign officially began on a Monday morning, though the energy had started building days earlier.
Phones buzzed constantly with campaign posters, climate facts, webinar flyers, and social media updates. WhatsApp statuses turned green with environmental messages. Instagram stories became flooded with reminders about proper waste disposal, videos, engaging facts and interactive discussions reaching up to 4000 views. Students actively engaged by reposting content, sharing opinions and registering as volunteers for the campaign. 32 total registrations were received from students within the faculties of Health Sciences, Economics, Agriculture, Engineering, Education, Science and Technology and Veterinary Medicine in the University of Nairobi.
Steadily, the message began settling in. Waste was not just an environmental issue. It was a public health issue:
Blocked drainage systems contribute to disease outbreaks. Burning plastics pollutes the air people breathe daily. Poor waste management contaminates food and water systems. Climate change itself continues to reshape patterns of disease, food insecurity, and human vulnerability.
More than asking people to simply “keep the environment clean,” the campaign triggered them to recognise the connection between the planet and human life. And by the end of Tuesday, conversations had already started spreading beyond social media posts.
Thursday –The Documentary Screening
Thursday evening felt different.
Participants gathered online to watch the documentary Dumped: A Waste Picker’s Story, a film highlighting the harsh realities faced by waste pickers at Nairobi’s Dandora dumpsite.
The documentary followed the lives of workers who spend their days sorting through mountains of waste in dangerous conditions, often exposed to toxic fumes, burning plastics, pollution, and severe health risks. One story in particular stayed with many viewers: Joyce, a waste picker suffering from chronic respiratory infections linked directly to toxic exposure at the dumpsite - her workplace.
The film prompted everyone to confront the uncomfortable truths: Behind every plastic bottle thrown away casually, and every wrapper discarded carelessly, real people live and survive amid the consequences. Further, it challenged the common belief that recycling alone can solve the plastic crisis, revealing how low-value plastics continue flooding communities while waste pickers work in unsafe environments with little protection, recognition, and income.
Towards the end, the students examined the socioeconomic drivers of poor waste management that had led us here, diving deeply into their impacts at the systems, policy, and individual levels.
They reflected on: environmental injustice, consumerism, public health risks and the dignity of waste workers. An interesting and informative Q and A session followed:
Should plastic pollution be treated primarily as an environmental issue or a public health crisis?
How does the “normalisation” of waste picking for children affect their long-term educational and economic prospects?
What are the barriers preventing refill systems from becoming the global standard?
Does the narrative of “recycling” give consumers and corporations a false sense of security, and how might it hinder more effective solutions like “reduction”?
Evidently, the conversation had evolved from a purely academic discussion becoming a deeply human experience. For many participants, Thursday was the turning point of the entire campaign, the moment environmental discussions stopped feeling theoretical and became emotionally real.
Friday: Preparing for the walk
By Friday, the campaign had developed its own momentum. Preparations for the Saturday clean-up walk were underway, and the excitement was impossible to miss.
Committee members coordinated routes around Upperhill and Chiromo. Gloves ,trash bags, reflector jackets, cameras and refreshments were organised. Volunteers confirmed attendance. Posters circulated one final time. Friends recruited other friends. The anticipation for Saturday was clearer by every hour that passed; everyone eagerly waited to step beyond conversations and actively contribute to creating cleaner and healthier spaces within the community.
Saturday: Walking for Change
The morning with bright skies, energy, and purpose.
A total of 18 people gathered at the KNH UoN library, prepared for the mapped plastic clean-up walk around Upperhill and Chiromo. Armed with gloves, reflector jackets and collection bags, groups moved through streets along Ngong road, Ralph Bunche road, Valley road, Kenyatta avenue, Nyerere road, Mamlaka Road to Chiromo UoN, collecting plastic bottles, paper waste, wrappers, and litter scattered across pathways and drainage systems.
At first, pedestrians mostly watched. Some looked confused. Others smiled. A few stopped to ask what the campaign was about. Some thanked the volunteers. Others joined briefly in cleaning certain areas. Drivers slowed down to watch students carrying out environmental action together.
The clean-up walk was physically exhausting, but it carried a strange sense of fulfilment. Because change feels different when you can physically see it. A cleaner sidewalk, an emptied drainage path, a street that looked visibly cared for and 31 bags of collected plastic waste.
Those small changes mattered. Not because they solved every environmental problem overnight, but because they proved that action, even small action, creates momentum. Some admitted that they had never participated in an environmental activity before and were already asking when the next one would take place.
The Climate and Health Webinar
Just when the campaign seemed complete, the following Monday brought another revolutionary continuation: the Climate & Health Webinar.
Hosted by Ms Itoro Inoyo, a global health expert and Program Lead at the Planetary Health Alliance, the webinar marked the climax of the UoN IPPNW- MSSR Waste Management Campaign 2026.
The session explored the growing connection between waste, climate change, and public health, highlighting how poor waste management contributes to pollution, disease outbreaks, unsafe air quality, and environmental injustice. Focusing on the “triple crisis”; climate change, waste accumulation, and health inequities, the conversation examined the dangers of municipal waste, healthcare waste, electronic waste, and microplastics on human health. Participants reflected on how climate change acts as a “waste multiplier,” worsening flooding, disease spread, and respiratory illnesses in vulnerable communities. Beyond the challenges, the webinar inspired hope by showcasing solutions implemented in countries like Rwanda and Brazil, where community clean-up initiatives, plastic bans, and support for waste pickers have created meaningful environmental change. The session ended with a strong call to action, encouraging students to continue advocating for sustainability through education, community outreach, and everyday environmental responsibility. The urgency has never been more real!
More Than a Campaign
The campaign was never about waste, only. It was about collective dignity, responsibility, public health, and community. At its core was the understanding that protecting the planet is, in essence, protecting people - a conviction that was ultimately embraced by the student volunteers and the wider community audience we reached. For one unforgettable week, students chose to care loudly; about the planet, about public health, and about the people too often forgotten behind society’s waste.
And maybe that is where real change begins!
