Africa - Mainstreaming organic waste management across 11 countries

Methane emissions from organic waste is a significant problem across Africa. Methane emissions from 11 growing countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Morocco amount to 1.9 million tonnes a year. If zero waste, which includes source separation and organics diversion, was scaled up across the entire waste sector in all eleven CCAC countries, methane emissions would drop by 84%.

Although 2019 estimates of methane emissions from many African countries are relatively small compared to behemoths like the U.S. or China, rapid urbanisation, population growth, and increasing waste streams are putting Africa on the path of dramatically rising methane emissions in the future. 

By tapping into the power of the informal sector through this proposal, we can integrate organics management more broadly into the essential work of waste pickers in eleven of CCAC's partner countries.

Objectives

The project will aim to promote achieving a 40% reduction in methane emissions by 2030 in line with the strategy outlined in the CCAC’s Coalition 2030 Strategy.  

The project will also conduct proactive capacity building to expand and enhance methane mitigation through source separation and organics diversion. 

Activities

This project will strive to spark nationwide transitions to zero waste, which includes source separation and organics management, in 11 CCAC partner countries in Africa. This transition will include, and be led by, the informal waste sector which is already doing the relentless work of waste management at the local level in these countries.

To achieve its objectives the project will:

• Raise awareness on the conditions and potential of informal waste pickers  
• Launch a  webinar series on organic waste management 
• Host an in-person learning exchange with all project partners and local waste picker representatives 
• Increase advocacy and expand waste picker-led organics managements in eleven African CCAC countries.     
• Demonstrate the projects completed in all eleven CCAC countries as models for advocacy of national policies on “zero waste,” calling for nationwide source separation, organics diversion, and waste picker integration. 

Project reference: [WST-22-004] Africa - Mainstreaming organic waste management across 11 countries