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- Africa’s waste-to-energy boom may be a costly detour
Africa’s waste-to-energy boom may be a costly detour
Dear subscriber,
The promise of waste-to-energy is compelling: Tackle mounting waste while generating much-needed electricity. Over the years I have edited this newsletter, I have covered many projects pursuing this promise. But looking beyond the projections to the realities of the technology has made me question whether incineration is the silver bullet it is often presented as.
Mercy Maina – Editor
 | With more than 560 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lacking access to electricity and waste volumes mounting, waste-to-energy has been gaining attention as a potential solution to both challenges. However, experts increasingly question whether incineration is an appropriate solution to Africa’s mounting waste-management challenges. |
Municipal solid waste could generate an additional 100–245 kWh of electricity per person annually across sub-Saharan Africa, equivalent to a potential 63–155% increase on the region’s current average electricity generation of 158 kWh per person.
A new report by environmental advocacy group Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) describes waste-to-energy incineration as the “wrong solution”, citing economic, environmental and public health concerns.
Our take: Africa risks creating a perverse incentive by investing in facilities that need waste to remain profitable while simultaneously pursuing waste reduction… Read more (2 min)
 | As African countries implement extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, circularity consultant José Ramón Carbajosa warns that treating producer fees as government revenue risks leaving recycling systems without dedicated funding. He argues that the legal treatment of these fees can determine whether EPR deliver functioning recycling systems. |
“Once money enters the Treasury, the money becomes general revenue. A road, a hospital or the salary bill gets paid first, and recycling waits for a budget line which never comes,” he warns, calling for EPR laws that clearly define how producer fees are held, managed and channelled into recycling.
Mr Carbajosa has worked across Africa, Latin America and Asia, supporting the design and implementation of EPR systems. His work spans recycling, waste management and product stewardship. He also publishes the EPR Rules of the Trade newsletter on LinkedIn, covering developments and practical lessons in extended producer responsibility.
Read the full opinion article here (2 min)
 | African countries are taking a more prescriptive approach to waste management, with five new circular economy policy developments recorded between July and September 2026. The measures translate broad circular economy ambitions into specific regulatory requirements, signalling a shift towards more targeted policy action. |
The policies assign waste management responsibilities to players such as producers, property owners and private waste collectors, extending obligations beyond public authorities.
Nigeria accounted for three of the five new circular economy policy developments, spanning state-level waste management measures and national plastic-waste regulations.
Our take: The policies could redistribute power across the waste value chain…Read more (2 min)
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Source: Beatrice Ngunjiri
A decade-old steel giraffe filled with plastics at Braeburn International School Arusha
Events
🤝 Participate in the African Biochar Alliance Summit in Zambia (Oct 27)
✍️ Register for the Biomass Briquettes & Bioenergy Conference in Kenya (Oct 29)
📅 Attend the 2nd Annual ESG & Climate Africa Summit in Kenya (Nov 24)
Jobs
👨🏾💼 Head the chemicals and science policy unit at UNEP (Kenya)
🧕🏼 Oversee construction waste compliance at Stefanutti Stocks (South Africa)
🧑💼 Manage employee relations at Compass Medical Waste Services (South Africa)
👷🏾 Spearhead waste management engineering at JPCE (South Africa)
🧕🏼Support the delivery of waste management consultancy projects at AESG (Egypt)
🧑💼 Administer the centralised EPR compliance framework of Scatec (South Africa)
Various
🎊 Ten startups named semifinalists of the $2m Milken-Motsepe Prize in circularity
💻 Nine African countries join $60m AfDB-backed circular electronics programme
💰 Climate Bonds new green bond to support $60m investment in Ivory Coast
⚡Legislation tackling the end of life of solar e-waste in Africa is insufficient
🔊 KEPRO announces applications for the ReWeave Programme in Kenya
📦 How packaging design helps waste pickers in low- and middle-income countries
Seen on LinkedIn
Prof Priti Parikh, Director of The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction UCL, says, “As solar energy becomes increasingly popular in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) , dealing with the waste from these products and systems is of high importance, to avoid an e-waste crisis. Legislation and infrastructure tackling the end of life of solar e-waste is insufficient, especially in SSA.”