The Kenyan start-up M-taka is rethinking waste: garbage is collected, digitally recorded, and fed back into the economy as a recyclable resource.
Through a digital platform, M-taka connects households, waste collectors, recycling companies, businesses, and local institutions. Households can schedule targeted waste pick-ups, while collections are digitally organised and paid for transparently. The result is a system in which waste becomes a resource. At the same time, M-taka creates fair and reliable incomes for people working in waste management and improves the environmental footprint of communities—making circular economy practical and socially impactful.
M-taka is able to continuously develop its products thanks to funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the EU as part of the Team Europe Action Digital and Green Innovation. The start-up was accepted into the Digital and Green Innovation Acceleration Programme DGIx, through which it participated in training courses, conferences, and networking events with investors to expand its visibility and reach.
M-taka—Turning waste into opportunity in Kenya:
