The Politics of Dumping

Despite about 20 out of the 50 biggest dumpsites in the world being found in Africa, the circular economy still needs to be clarified in the continent due to the politics surrounding converting waste to wealth.

The circular economy is a production and consumption model that involves sharing, reusing, leasing, refurbishing, repairing, and recycling the existing products and materials as long as possible.

This model aims to separate economic growth from finite resource consumption and waste generation. The circular economy model emphasizes a closed-loop system in which resources are used efficiently and minimise waste.

Governments worldwide increasingly use the model to address critical economic and environmental challenges. The circular economy model also helps the government to protect ecosystems, reduce pollution, and mitigate climate change.

Compared to the linear economy model, the circular economy model also creates more jobs and opportunities for innovation and economic growth, helping to foster a more resilient and sustainable economy.

One of Africa's circular economy opportunities underutilized is converting waste to energy. Despite about 20 out of the 50 biggest dumpsites in the world being found in Africa, the conversion of waste to wealth has been entangled in local politics, with the revenue generated benefiting only a few people in government.

So why is waste such a hot topic attracting political interest? And what opportunities are Africans missing by under-utilizing the enormous amount of waste produced in the continent?

Turning Waste into Wealth

Waste is any substance discarded after primary use or considered of no use. Wastes are typically viewed as unusable or unwanted materials.

The growth of cities and urban areas across Africa has increased solid and municipal waste production. The mismanagement of waste in urban areas across Africa poses a serious risk to the environment and human health, with the most significant adverse impacts faced by society's most vulnerable.

Hundreds of landfill dumpsites are spread across Kenya, the largest being Dandora dumpsite in Nairobi. In 2020, the Nairobi Metropolitan Services identified 100 illegal dumpsites in Nairobi County, 82 of which were cleared of solid waste and closed.

Properly collecting municipal solid waste means critical metals and other valuable sources can be recovered and used in new products, thus achieving significantly lower production costs and environmental impact.

Success stories in waste management are reported in countries around the world. These typically showcase optimal waste transformation to wealth.

Speaking at the June 2023 Africa Waste is Wealth Series (AWWS) Conference, Kenya's National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Director General Boru Mamo stated that waste is a resource that can be realized by managing it efficiently.

During the conference held in Nairobi by the non-profit Taka Taka Ni Mali , Mr Mamo said, "It is only in Africa where waste is seen as what it is, waste. From the point of generation to the point of disposal, we need to separate the waste so that what gets to our disposal sites is minimal."

This year's conference theme was "Promoting Effective Waste Management Practices for Environmental Conservation and Climate Change Mitigation."

Africa generates approximately 80% of the total solid waste, which, if recycled, would be estimated at $8 billion yearly. Despite this vast potential, only 11% of the solid waste is recycled, mainly by the informal sector.

During the AWWS Conference, Kenya's Principal Secretary in the State Department for Environment and Climate Change, Festus Ng'eno , stated that the Kenyan government is creating green jobs and supporting innovations in waste management through policy implementation that promotes sustainable waste management.

Mr. Nge'no further stated that the government utilizes the circular economy model to minimize waste management by recycling existing products and materials.

The PS said Kenya is at the forefront of promoting waste recycling in the region despite the challenges facing recycling industries operating in a formalized and sustainable waste management system.

Therefore, the volume of waste collected and recycled has yet to be fully optimized based on plastic production and market requirements.

The Importance of Converting Waste-to-Wealth

When collected with skill and care and upgraded with quality in mind, discarded materials are a resource that can contribute to local revenue, job creation, business expansion, and the local economic base.

On a per-ton basis , sorting and processing recyclables alone sustain ten times more jobs than landfilling or incineration.

Making new products from waste materials offers the most significant economic payoff in the recycling loop. New recycling-based manufacturers employ even more people at higher wages than sorting recyclables.

Additionally, reuse, recycling, and composting can reduce the significant resources and energy used to manufacture, distribute, and sell products to consumers.

The Opportunities in Converting Waste-to-Energy

With only a 4% recycling rate , opportunities to develop a circular economy still need to be explored in Africa. The current waste management practices have resulted in waste being overlooked for its potential value to the local economies.

As a result, viable polymers (from plastic), fiber (from paper), metals, and nutrients (from organic waste), amongst other things, are being lost to Africa's economy through the disposal of waste at dumpsites and landfills.

These resources could be reintroduced back into the local and general economies, supporting the manufacturing and reducing the economic burden on imports.

Preliminary calculations have shown that converting waste from dumpsites to usable materials could inject an additional $8 billion into the African economy every year.

This promises to create significant socio-economic opportunities for the continent and address the current environmental and human health impacts caused by the mismanagement of wealth.

Waste, therefore, provides considerable opportunity for the continent if only it could be safely collected and directed towards reuse, recycling, and recovery.

Why is Waste being Under-Utilized in Africa?

Although almost all African countries have some policies that dictate how waste should be managed, many political factors constrain the waste management system in Africa.

Poor financing is a significant constraint to developing the waste sector in Africa. This is mainly because Africa's waste sector is still perceived as a high-risk investment.

Existing waste management financing models currently used in Africa are limited, aggravated by weak institutional frameworks and poor governance of public resources.

Therefore, most countries on the continent require an excellent political will to strengthen institutions and regulatory frameworks and reduce perceived sector risk.

Secondly, weak legislation and the lack of enforcement of the existing policies also hinder African nations from realizing the full economic potential of solid waste. Local politicians utilize the current gaps in legislation to benefit individually from the revenue generated in this sector.

Widespread corruption is also a significant factor affecting the effective use of waste as a resource. Lastly, political instability and conflict in different continents also affect the potential of turning waste into wealth.

Therefore, to realize the true potential of solid and municipal waste in Africa, there must be a strong political will to develop and implement legislation to convert waste to wealth and move from a linear to a circular economy.

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