Africa’s protected areas double down on circularity

February 04, 2026

Dear subscriber,

Inside Africa’s national parks, a quiet evolution is taking place. It’s not about new species or safari routes, but about the systems that keep ancient ecosystems functioning in the face of ever new forms of human waste. 

Mercy Maina - Editor

South Africa’s Kruger National Park last week began piloting a recycling initiative that includes the installation of clearly marked waste-separation bins across parts of the park. The move is part of a broader trend across Africa, where protected areas are going beyond waste collection to implement recycling and improved waste-management systems.

  • As visitor numbers grow, parks are increasingly aware of the material footprint tourism brings, prompting efforts to redesign waste systems to balance conservation goals with the realities of modern travel and consumption.

  • Treating pollution prevention and resource recovery as integral to conservation, rather than as a separate task, is helping parks protect biodiversity while managing the pressures of growing tourism.

  • Our take: Sustainability of these initiatives will depend on how well upstream material flows are governed… Read more (2 min)

As Africa’s construction sector expands to meet the rising housing needs, Helen Olu-Anthony, a construction expert and SDG advocate, warns that conventional building practices risk entrenching waste and pollution. If current approaches persist, she argues, the construction boom could leave lasting environmental and social liabilities.

  • Ms Olu-Anthony is the Managing Director of Majestic Breed Ventures Limited  and a senior project management professional with over 12 years of experience leading large-scale construction and real estate projects across Nigeria, from concept to commissioning.

  • She urges embedding sustainability across the entire construction lifecycle, stressing that integrating energy-efficient design, low-carbon materials and waste reduction practices is essential to protect long-term environmental, social, and economic value.

  • Read the full opinion article here (2 min)

A new World Bank assessment of waste management across the Middle East and North Africa points to Morocco as a model of how municipal solid waste reform can be structured, financed and governed at system level. Its experience offers relevant lessons for African countries working to stabilise services and modernise delivery.

  • Municipal solid waste management remains weak across many African cities, with average collection rates far below the volume of waste generated, and most uncollected waste ending up in uncontrolled dumpsites rather than managed disposal facilities.

  • Though Morocco’s transition is still evolving, the assessment suggests it illustrates how system reform can begin to address these structural weaknesses and build the institutional foundations needed for consistent service delivery rather than short-term operational fixes.

  • Our take: Working systems are central to effective solid waste management across Africa.…Read more (2 min)

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Source: FIMA Industries

Waste processed into raw materials at Accra Compost and Recycling Plant 

Events

🗓️ Network at the Conference on Plastic Waste Reduction (Feb 11)

🗓️ Register for the Where is Circular Innovation South Africa now? webinar (Feb 19)

🗓️ Participate in the Nigeria Circular Economy Week (February 16) 

🗓️ Attend the Africa Green Economy Summit (February 24) 

🗓️ Be  at the West African Clean Energy & Environment Conference (March 17)

Jobs

🧑‍⚕️ Consult in circular economy at ITU (Africa)

🧑‍⚕️ Be the next National Project Officer - E-Waste under IOM (Uganda)

🧑‍⚕️ Serve as an Environmental Specialist at UNEP (Kenya)

🧑‍⚕️ Take on the position of Senior Waste Management Expert at UN-Habitat (Kenya)

🧑‍⚕️ Chair UNEP’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) (Kenya)

🧑‍⚕️ Offer your expertise on EBA Impact Modeling at UNEP (Kenya)

🧑‍⚕️ Support IT functions as intern at Regen Organics (Kenya)

🧑‍⚕️ Complement recycling operations as driver at Bryson Recycling (South Africa)

🧑‍⚕️ Supervise janitorial duties at Partners in Health (Sierra Leone)

🧑‍⚕️ Work as a Water & Wastewater Treatment Engineer at Dar (Egypt)

Various 

‼️ Ethiopia officially bans single-use plastic bags

🏗️ How South Africa’s Calgro M3 is turning construction waste into value

🎵 South African PRO drops new song & video to promote metal recycling

👍 Kenya reaffirms commitment to global chemicals, pollution management

Seen on LinkedIn 

Christine Cherono, a sustainable waste management advocate, says, “Rwanda’s message to its visitors is simple: ‘It is forbidden to bring any plastic bags into Rwanda. If you have tax-free purchases, please remove them and leave the plastic bag on the aircraft.’ This is what a plastic ban looks like in action, because if a ban is not enforced at entry points and borders, it remains words on paper.”