Sanergy

Cities in emerging economies are growing faster than ever. Currently, 60 million new residents move to urban areas every year. One in four lives in slums, amounting to one billion people with inadequate housing and limited access to basic services, and this number is expected to reach three billion by 2050. As a result, urban population growth dramatically outpaces gains in access to safe sanitation and waste management services. Cities are already facing antiquated and over-capacity landfill spaces, and yet, on average, 60% of the waste is organic. At the same time, 80% of Kenyans who rely on agriculture for their livelihood face significant challenges accessing agricultural inputs including organic fertilizer and protein for animal feed.

Sanergy takes a circular economy approach to solving the sanitation and waste management crisis in fast-growing cities. First, Sanergy builds networks of sanitation facilities distributed to communities in informal settlements. On a regular basis, Sanergy safely collects and transports the sanitation waste generated and other residual organics from restaurants, city markets, and agricultural park houses to a central processing plant for upcycling. The end products derived include agricultural inputs for farmers – organic fertilizer and insect-based animal feed – as well as biomass briquettes.

Sanergy provides a private sector sanitation and waste management solution that is not only much faster to implement, but is affordable and sustainable for rapidly growing cities. Sanergy now serves 150,000 people every day.

Sanergy also benefits farmers and feed millers by producing quality agricultural inputs which help increase their crop yields and therefore their income. In providing dignified, desirable, and easily accessible sanitation solutions in urban slums and supporting farmers, Sanergy positively impacts individuals and communities across society.