Eleven African Countries Are Advancing Organic Waste Management and Protecting Waste Pickers

Most of Africa’s municipal solid waste (57%) is organic. Poor sorting practices and limited processing options—such as composting or recycling—combined with overflowing landfills have increased the continent’s vulnerability to climate change, leading to more frequent flooding, landslides, prolonged droughts, and rising food insecurity. Additionally, poor waste management practices contribute to declining air quality and related health issues across the continent. 

This problem disproportionately impacts waste pickers—the backbone of recycling and waste management in Africa—who are exposed to hazardous air quality and the risks posed by poorly maintained landfills. While there is no data on the number of waste pickers in Africa, it is estimated that there are approximately 20 million worldwide, representing around 0.25% of the global population. These individuals primarily operate in the informal economy, collecting dry recyclables, and are largely unprotected by the state. 

The CCAC-supported project advocated for waste pickers to be formally integrated into the waste management system, providing economic, social, and environmental benefits. As highlighted by the project implementer, GAIA, in their 2022 report, "Zero Waste to Zero Emissions," such integration not only reduces landfill use and enhances resource recovery — the process of turning waste into valuable materials — but also provides dignified livelihoods for waste pickers and strengthens community resilience.  

A System Under Strain

Eleven governments across Africa have committed to improving organic waste management in line with the CCAC’s 2030 Strategy, which aims to reduce methane emissions by 40% by 2030. In line with this effort, CCAC partners have undertaken a series of targeted interventions, including: 

• raising awareness of the conditions waste pickers are exposed to and potential of how integration of informal waste pickers can lead to diversion of waste into landfills, 

• launching a webinar series on organic waste management, highlighting the experiences of fellow African movements that have successfully integrated waste pickers into their zero waste initiatives in Ghana, Tanzania, and South Africa

• hosting capacity-building workshops for waste pickers, highlighting the linkages between methane emissions and climate change

• developing local policies and standards for source separation and organic waste management in conjunction with local organisations

• hosting an in-person learning exchange with project partners and local waste picker representatives to align on how best practices could be leveraged across the different countries and unpack barriers to success. 

The programme was implemented by the following organizations:  

• Centre for Environment Justice and Development (CEJAD) in Kenya; 

• Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) in Ghana; 

• Eco-Justice Ethiopia in Ethiopia; 

• End Plastic Pollution in Uganda; 

• Centre for Earth Works (CFEW) in Nigeria; 

• CAD in Zimbabwe; 

• Zero Waste Senegal (ZWS) in Senegal; 

• Global Initiative for Environment and Reconciliation (GER) in Rwanda; 

• Youth Exploring Solutions (YES) in Liberia; 

• Front Commun pour la Protection de l'Environnement et des Espaces Protégés (FCPEEP) in the Democratic Republic of Congo; 

• and Zero Waste Skhirat (ZWS) in Morocco.

Case studies 

UGANDA

End Plastic Pollution in Uganda, one of the project’s implementing partners, successfully launched an organic waste management facility at The Kollekt Village. That includes a plastic waste recovery program involving waste pickers with a facility to collect, sort and store recovered materials. Designed to handle and compost up to three tons of organic waste, the facility was built with three composting chambers through the support of GAIA and the CCAC. It also includes a dedicated training space for hands-on learning and demonstrations in organic waste management and composting  

KENYA

In Kenya, project implementer, CEJAD, trained waste pickers to understand how organic waste contributes to methane emissions and climate change, and taught them practical skills in sorting and managing organic waste. In collaboration with Kisumu County Waste Pickers Welfare Association, CEJAD also organised a zero waste walk educational campaign, which was undertaken in the Obunga area in Kisumu to educate the masses about the importance of waste separation at source. This walk that brought together more than 150 waste pickers was the first of its kind in the area and marked a significant milestone in community engagement around zero waste principles, highlighting the critical role of communities in effective waste management. 

NIGERIA