Nakuru Water and Sanitation Services Company Ltd (NAWASSCO) has assured residents of Nakuru County that the briquettes production project established in Kaloleni estate in Nakuru East has no negative environmental effects.
Speaking in his office, NAWASSCO Managing Director Mr. James Ng’ang’a said the Project has been approved by Environmental authority NEMA and Kenya Bureau of Standards-KEBS after Environmental Impact Assessment carried out in 2017.
“I want to assure residents that the briquettes production has no negative environmental impacts and the project was approved after Environmental Impact Assessment carried out in 2017” he said.
The briquettes are produced through a process called carbonization and according to NAWASSCO MD, the product is safe to the surrounding communities.At the moment, the project is able to produce 1 tonne of the briquettes per month which the MD says is expected to increase to 10 tons per month once the expansion of the project is complete.
The project will see more than 100 locals employed too.
“Once we complete the expansion process we expect to produce almost 10 tons per month and also the community will benefit since we shall have close to 100 persons employed” he said.
The company is manufacturing briquettes from human waste and sawdust collected around Nakuru.Locals have embraced its use and are using the briquettes for cooking and other purposes.
The project aims to help protect the environment and improve sanitation especially in poor parts of the town.
The charcoal is made through a process called carbonisation where the waste is first collected and left to dry in a greenhouse for two weeks.
It is then broken down and mixed with sawdust before being placed in a kiln.
The carbonisation process ensures that there is no smell left over from the human waste.
PHOTO/nakuruwater.co.ke: Briquettes produced in Nakuru from human waste.