A funeral or a wedding hosted at a family compound in Kasarani can, for a single day or weekend, generate several times a household's normal weekly waste volume — catering waste, decorations, disposable serving items, and the general debris of hosting dozens or hundreds of guests. It's a genuinely different kind of waste event from our usual steady household rhythm, and one we've learned to plan for as its own category of request.

Why these events create a distinct waste challenge

Our standard collection model assumes a fairly steady weekly volume per household, sized and scheduled accordingly. A large family event compresses what might otherwise be weeks of waste into a single day or weekend, often with a timing urgency our normal weekly schedule doesn't accommodate — a household hosting a funeral typically needs waste cleared promptly, not on whatever day happens to be their regular collection slot.

How we've adapted to handle these requests

We now offer a specific, on-request extra collection service for households anticipating a large event, arranged in advance where possible so we can plan appropriate staffing and timing rather than treating it as an unplanned emergency. A modest additional fee, reflecting the extra volume and often adjusted timing involved, applies beyond the household's standard weekly collection fee, though we try to keep this reasonable rather than treating a family's difficult or celebratory occasion as an opportunity for premium pricing.

What planning ahead actually involves

Where a household can give us even a few days' notice — more feasible for a wedding than an unexpected funeral, understandably — we can schedule a dedicated collection specifically timed around the event's end, rather than waiting for the household's normal weekly slot. For funerals, where advance notice is often much shorter or nonexistent, we try to prioritise a fast response once contacted, recognising that a bereaved family shouldn't need to navigate complicated logistics on top of everything else they're managing.

Segregation expectations during a large event

We don't expect the same careful, granular segregation during a large event that we ask of households on a normal week — asking a family managing a funeral to carefully sort catering waste by category isn't a reasonable expectation. Our approach during these collections is more pragmatic: separating out anything obviously recyclable, like large volumes of clean bottles or cans, from general event debris, without requiring the full three-stream precision we ask of ordinary weekly collection.

What we've learned handling these requests over time

The clearest operational lesson has been building enough flexibility into our regular route staffing to absorb occasional event requests without disrupting standard collection for other households on the same day. Early on, an unplanned large event request could genuinely strain a day's schedule; we now maintain some deliberate slack in our staffing specifically to accommodate this kind of unpredictable but recurring need.

Why we consider this part of our core mission, not a side service

It would be easy to treat event-related collection purely as a minor commercial add-on to our core residential work. We see it differently: a household's ability to host a dignified funeral or a joyful wedding without worrying about accumulating, unmanaged waste afterward is a genuine extension of the reliability and dignity we're trying to bring to waste management more broadly across Kasarani, not a separate, lesser priority.

How to request event collection support

  • Contact us as early as possible if you're planning a wedding or other scheduled event, ideally at least a few days ahead.
  • For funerals or other urgent situations, reach out as soon as you're able; we prioritise fast response for these requests.
  • Let us know roughly how many guests are expected, which helps us plan appropriate staffing and timing.
  • Ask about the additional fee upfront, so there's no surprise cost added to an already significant occasion.

A specific example of how this played out

One family hosting a large wedding reception in Sunton reached out roughly a week ahead, giving us time to plan a dedicated collection immediately following the event rather than leaving accumulated waste sitting through the weekend until their normal Monday slot. The family specifically mentioned afterward that not having to worry about the waste side of hosting let them focus fully on the occasion itself, which is exactly the outcome we're aiming for with this service.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an extra cost for event-related waste collection?

Yes, a modest additional fee applies beyond standard weekly collection, reflecting the extra volume and often adjusted timing, though we aim to keep this reasonable.

How much advance notice do you need for a wedding or planned event?

A few days' notice where possible helps us plan staffing and timing properly, though we can often accommodate shorter notice depending on current route capacity.

What about urgent situations like funerals with little advance notice?

We prioritise a fast response for these situations; contact us as soon as you're able and we'll do our best to accommodate the timing.

For our standard weekly collection details, see our programmes page.