The Kenyan company turning used nappies into cleaner fuel

More than 20 million tons of disposable nappies are burnt or dumped in landfills every year. Hazel Sheffield meets the team with a unique way to recycle them

Peter Gachanja (centre) with Leafy Ke co-founders Dennis Muguta (left) and Melvin Kizito

In Kenya, used hygiene products like nappies and sanitary towels are a common sight in open fields, according to Peter Gachanja, a 26-year-old entrepreneur. His start-up, Leafy Ke, has pioneered a way to break down the component parts of a used nappy and turn them into an alternative fuel that can be used for cooking in catering businesses and homes.

“In Kenya, there is no proper disposing of these diapers,” Gachanja says. Nappies can take up to 500 years to completely decompose, releasing methane and other fuel into the environment as they decompose. “Sometimes some of them end up in the drainage, polluting the water,” he says. “It is a huge problem.”

What to do with the world’s used disposable nappies is not a glamorous problem – but the problem is so acute that it has united some of the world’s biggest multinationals and it’s most innovative grassroots entrepreneurs.