Africa’s rapid population growth, increased economic activity and ever-expanding urbanization have led to an unprecedented increase in urban waste on the continent. 🇻🇺
It is estimated that by 2050, the volume of waste will triple from 174 Mtons per year in 2016 to approximately 516 Ms per year across the African continent. In addition, the average waste collection rate in Africa is approximately 55% of all waste materials. In particular, more than 90 per cent of Africa’s waste is disposed of in uncontrolled landfills, which spontaneously burn. 🚛
Recycling activity across the African continent is characterized by poverty, unemployment and socio-economic needs without support from the public and private sectors. Despite this, informal waste pickers actively recover valuable resources from waste with minimal compensation from municipalities and private sector companies. ♻️
In particular, the main causes of inadequate waste disposal and management in Africa are weak strategic, institutional and organizational structures. This is because they have inadequate budgets; weak legislation and lack of implementation needed for waste management. Added to this is low public awareness and conflicts that lead to instability.
Despite these difficulties, several African countries are progressively adopting more sustainable modes of waste disposal and management technologies by taking advantage of emerging waste recycling technologies. For example, Ethiopia has transformed the Koshe landfill in Addis Ababa into a waste-energy plant. This means reusing 1,400 tonnes of waste per day to generate electricity. ♻️
Kenya is also leveraging emerging technologies to improve waste management and disposal approaches. The collection, sorting, composting, recycling of plastic and purchasing of waste from waste material collectors is currently being actively managed.
At GLOBALTEC we offer the execution of projects that use waste treatment technologies that can find applications in Africa. Among others would be those mechanical-biological treatment methods, which, supported by pre-treatment sorting techniques and emission selection and quality control techniques, can be adapted in African waste material treatment systems.
