Ecosan Kenya Network: June 2011

Edited by Xizi Ling (GIZ)

CCS - Community Cleaning Services is an emerging Kenyan nonprofit social enterprise working with entrepreneurial teams across Nairobi’s low-income communities providing significantly cleaner, more hygienic and more “usable” toilets at a cost each client can afford (usually less than $0.25 per family per week, the same cost as a soda).

(Resource: “S.C. JOHNSON & COMMUNITY

(Resource: “S.C. JOHNSON & COMMUNITY CLEANING SERVICES: Delivering Sustainable

Diverse infrastructures (vertical and horizontal dwellings) and community structures are operated by CCS. It is providing cleaning services to residential toilets shared across multiple households as well as semi-public facilities in the communities serving residents who do not have access to a residential toilet.

There are 8 “coordinating entrepreneurs” who employ at least another 60 on a semi-regular basis (2-6 days per week). 14 CCS teams currently service around 225 facilities per week. Monthly, CCS teams are improving sanitation for a conservatively estimated 249,000 low-income Nairobi residents and are using S.C. Johnson cleaning products. More infos on the partnership with S.C. Johnson is found on http://www.e4sw.org/projects-initiatives/sc-johnson-kenya.

*Germ level is measured by the amount of organic material that remains on the surface. RLUs are Relative Light Units. A chemical on the germ monitor swab causes organic materials to glow and the monitor reads the Relative Light Units, or the amount of light emitted.

(Resource: “Investing in People, Investing for the Planet”)

In addition, CCS teams re-use all packaging and only replace it once it has served its full useful life—and then it is recycled locally. They are not only delivering cleaner, safer toilets, but also, by nearly eliminating packaging waste, contributing to cleaner communities and setting a positive commercial example.

CCS recently became a partner of the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), and is expecting to learn what others are doing in the East African sanitation space through this platform and share what they are doing and their learning’s with other partner oraganisations. They also took part in the ecosan vision workshop of last year in Nairobi http://www.susana.org/lang-en/library/conferences/2010-conferences/183-2010-conferences/472-ecosan-workshops-kenya.

CCS evolved through a bottom-up process driven by a unique partnership between entrepreneurial low-income youth and SC Johnson a multi-national company. CCS has deep roots in the community and has a pragmatic, locally orientated business approach to the issues of urban sanitation, which they believe can be replicated. They hope to create demand for improved sanitation, new income opportunities and cleaner, safer toilets in Nairobi’s lowest income communities.

Turning Problems into Opportunities

Problem

When cleaning walls, water and dish soap would be splashed onto the wall by hand. Water would run down the wall and drain away, requiring even more water to complete the cleaning task.

Solutions

CCS now mix the water and cleaner into foam by pouring them back and forth between two buckets. The foam stays on the wall for a thorough scrubbing, and requires about half as much water and cleaner.

Results

By using less water, the cleaners can make fewer trips to the water source, which is often distant. This increases the number of sites that can be cleaned in a day and reduces costs since most water sources charge a fee. Water use is reduced by 57 percent and local team profits can more than double, particularly during frequent droughts and soaring water costs

Contacts
Address: CCS, No. 33 Parklane Stalls, Outer Ring Road, 53042-00200 Nairobi, Kenya

Contact: Joseph Njenga

Internet: www.comcservice.com

Phone: 0722209733

Category: Private sector

S.C. Johnson (cleaning products) :

Contact: Justin P. DeKoszmovszky

Internet: http://www.scjohnson.com/de/home.aspx

Contact information was taken from SuSanA website http://www.susana.org/lang-en/partners)