Table banking — small, informal savings and lending groups where members pool contributions and lend to each other in rotation — is a well-established practice across Kenya. What's newer, at least in our experience, is watching one form specifically around income earned through plastic buy-back selling, among a group of women who met each other simply by showing up at the same Roysambu buy-back point week after week.
How the group actually came together
It started informally, the way most table-banking groups do: a handful of women selling sorted plastic on the same Tuesday schedule began recognising each other, then talking while waiting to be weighed in, then eventually realising several of them were interested in a structured way to save a portion of that income together rather than spending it individually as it came in. Within a few months, a loose conversation turned into a defined group with regular contributions, a simple rotation system, and basic shared rules around lending.
Why buy-back income specifically suited this
Buy-back income has a particular rhythm that turned out to suit table banking well: it's earned weekly, in cash, immediately after weighing, which makes it straightforward to set aside a fixed contribution on a consistent schedule rather than trying to save from irregular or delayed income. It's also, for many of the women involved, income that exists somewhat separately from household budgeting already accounted for elsewhere, which made it easier to commit a portion to savings without displacing other essential spending.
What the group has used savings for
Members have used table-banking payouts for a range of practical needs — school fees timed around term payment deadlines, small stock purchases for side businesses, and in a couple of cases, start-up costs for expanding their own plastic collection efforts beyond just their own household waste, buying materials from neighbours to bring in larger volumes for buy-back selling. That last use is a small but interesting feedback loop: buy-back income funding the table-banking group, which in turn funds slightly larger buy-back operations for some members.
Our role, and the limits of it
We want to be clear that we don't run or formally manage this group — it's entirely independent, organised and governed by its own members, and we've deliberately kept it that way rather than trying to formalise or take credit for something that works precisely because it belongs to the women involved. Our role has been limited to providing the consistent, reliable weekly buy-back schedule that made the income predictable enough to build savings habits around in the first place.
Why this matters beyond one group in Roysambu
This kind of organic, secondary economic activity forming around our buy-back schedule is, we think, a genuine sign that the underlying model is working as more than just a waste management mechanism. When a reliable income stream, however modest, becomes stable enough that people build further financial structures around it, that's a meaningfully different outcome than a one-off payment that gets spent immediately with no lasting effect.
What we've heard from group members directly
Members describe the predictability of the Tuesday schedule as the single factor that made this possible — a buy-back point operating irregularly, as some informal arrangements elsewhere do, wouldn't have given them the confidence to build a savings commitment around it. This echoes what we've heard from residents about door-to-door collection more broadly: consistency, more than any other single factor, is what turns a service people tolerate into one they actively build their routines and plans around.
Could this model spread to other buy-back points?
We're not actively trying to replicate this group elsewhere — it emerged organically and we think that's part of why it works. But we're happy to connect interested sellers at our other buy-back points, in Kasarani, Sunton or Githurai, with informal introductions if there's interest in starting something similar, without taking on a formal organising role ourselves.
What we'd say to a group considering something similar elsewhere
If a similar group of sellers at another buy-back point were considering forming their own table-banking arrangement, our honest advice, drawn from watching the Roysambu group succeed, would be to keep it entirely member-led from the outset, with clear, simple rules around contribution amounts and rotation agreed collectively before any money changes hands, rather than borrowing a structure from elsewhere that doesn't fit the group's actual circumstances.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kasarani Waste Solution involved in running this table-banking group?
No, it's entirely independent and self-organised by its members; we simply provide the consistent buy-back schedule that made it possible.
Can other buy-back sellers join or start a similar group?
Existing groups are typically formed and managed by their own members rather than open enrolment; if you're interested in starting something similar at another buy-back point, reach out and we can help make informal introductions.
Does buy-back income alone provide enough for meaningful savings?
For most sellers, buy-back income supplements rather than replaces other income; it's proven meaningful specifically because of its predictability, not necessarily its size.
Read more about how buy-back income supports broader livelihoods in our piece on youth turning trash into income, or find your nearest buy-back point on our programmes page.