Small businesses generate a steady stream of packaging waste that rarely fits neatly into household collection schedules. A hardware shop on Kasarani's main road approached us after struggling with what to do with the cardboard, plastic strapping and shrink wrap that came with every delivery — and the arrangement we built together has become a template we'd like to repeat with other small businesses.

The problem the shop was facing

Hardware shops deal with a particular kind of packaging waste that most residential collection isn't designed around: bulk cardboard from stock deliveries, plastic strapping used to secure pallets and bundles, and shrink wrap protecting goods in transit. None of it is hazardous or especially difficult to handle, but the volume is considerably higher than a typical household generates, and general waste collection sized for residential use simply wasn't built to absorb it efficiently.

How the collection arrangement works

We now collect from the shop weekly, on a slightly different day from our residential routes, reflecting both the different volume involved and the different rhythm of a business's waste generation compared to a household's. Material is sorted the same way as household recyclables: cardboard baled separately for recycling, plastics sorted by type where the strapping and wrap are recoverable. In exchange, the shop covers a small commercial collection fee that reflects the higher volume compared to a household, rather than paying the standard residential rate.

Why this required a different fee structure

Our standard residential fee is calibrated for the volume and type of waste a typical household generates weekly. A business generating multiple times that volume, even if it's a single account rather than dozens of separate households, needs a fee structure that reflects the actual cost of collecting and processing that additional volume. Working this out with the shop directly, rather than trying to force a business account into a residential pricing model, was part of what made the arrangement sustainable for both sides.

What this means for the shop, and for us

For the shop, it means packaging waste that used to accumulate awkwardly, or get disposed of informally, now has a reliable, scheduled outlet, freeing up storage space and avoiding the kind of accumulation that becomes a fire or pest risk if left unmanaged. For us, it means a new, more concentrated source of recoverable cardboard and plastic strapping, adding meaningfully to what feeds into our recycling stream without requiring the same door-to-door effort that residential collection does per kilogram gathered.

Interest from other local businesses

Several other small businesses along the same road have asked about similar arrangements after seeing the hardware shop's setup running smoothly. We're working out a simple commercial collection rate card — a straightforward, published structure for different business waste volumes — so we can say yes to more of them without it disrupting residential routes, which remain our core priority and shouldn't be crowded out by growing commercial demand.

How we're thinking about commercial collection going forward

Commercial partnerships like this one are a genuine, growing part of what we do, but they're deliberately structured as an addition to residential collection rather than a substitute focus for it. Commercial fee income, once the rate card is finalised, will help fund the wider system in the same way buy-back margins do — supporting route expansion and infrastructure like our planned materials recovery point — without shifting our core mission away from household-level waste management.

What a business interested in a similar arrangement should know

  • Commercial collection is assessed based on waste volume and type, not a flat residential rate.
  • A separate collection day, distinct from residential routes, is typical for business accounts.
  • Sorting expectations are similar to residential collection — recoverable material separated from general waste wherever possible.
  • Small businesses of any type, not just hardware or retail, are welcome to inquire.

What made this particular shop a good first commercial partner

The hardware shop's location, directly along a route our residential collectors already pass, made adding a commercial stop logistically simple compared to a business further from existing infrastructure. Its waste stream was also relatively uniform and predictable — mostly cardboard and plastic strapping, without the more complex mixed waste a restaurant or general retailer might generate — which made it a manageable first commercial arrangement to learn from before extending the model more broadly.

What we're still figuring out about commercial collection

We're being honest that the commercial side of our work is newer and less proven than our residential model, which has years of iteration behind it. Questions we're still actively working through include how to price fairly for businesses with more variable or seasonal waste volume than a hardware shop's fairly steady stream, and how to structure commercial collection days so they don't quietly expand to compete with residential route time as more businesses join. We'd rather grow this deliberately and get the structure right than expand quickly and create problems for our core residential service.

What we'd say to a business unsure whether their waste volume qualifies

We'd rather have the conversation than have a business assume, incorrectly, that their volume is too small or too unusual to be worth raising with us. Some of our more useful commercial arrangements have started from a business owner simply asking a general question, with the specific collection details worked out together once we understood their actual waste stream, rather than a business trying to pre-judge whether an inquiry was worthwhile.

Frequently asked questions

Is commercial waste collection available to any business in your service area?

We're actively developing a standard commercial rate card and can already consider new business partnerships on a case-by-case basis — reach out to discuss your specific needs.

How is commercial pricing determined?

Based on waste volume and type, reflecting the actual cost of collecting and processing higher business volumes rather than the flat residential rate.

What kind of packaging waste can be recycled through this arrangement?

Cardboard and recoverable plastic strapping or wrap are the most common materials; our team can advise on what's practical for your specific business waste stream.

If your business is generating packaging waste without a reliable outlet, get in touch to explore a similar arrangement.