Ebenezer Scrap Metal

Nakuru, Kenya

Primary information

Year formed

2007

Formally registered

No

Type of members

Members employ waste pickers

Type of Organization

Sole trader and/or business

Organizational Reach

Local

Workplace of members

Sorting center

Membership

No

Organization Structure

The organizational structure of Ebenezer scrap metal business owned solely by Ruth Nyambura includes overall day to day management roles by Ruth herself. To help her cope with demands of the business activities, she has employed 4 permanent staff. She also recruits casual labourers to support various tasks (sorting materials, weighing, cleaning, and cutting big materials into small pieces, security). Ruth pays waste reclaimers in cash once their materials have been received and weighed at the consolidation point.

Objectives

Improve livelihoods

Funding

Self funded

Internal elections

No

Women composition

Social networking sites

Benefits

Services

How is the relationship with the municipality?

Poor and/or non existent

Types of materials

Bones, Glass, Metals, Plastics, Shoe soles

Are they selling to middlemen?

Yes

Activities

Selling materials, Waste sorting

Complementary Information

Information source

Africa 2009

Comments / Narrative

Ruth learnt waste reclaiming business activities from her uncle. She was supporting him and realised that waste reclaiming businesses can be profitable. She formed Ebenezer scrap metal business as a self employed business for her livelihood income. She started off by borrowing Ksh. 30,000.00 as a working capital to buy reclaimed materials from waste pickers, she then hired an open space for materials consolidation at Ksh. 3,000.00/month rent. From here she started off by buying small quantities of various reclaimed waste streams and selling immediately for income.