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- Consider the cost-revenue mismatch in the waste economy
Consider the cost-revenue mismatch in the waste economy
Dear subscriber,
Waste volumes in Africa are projected to grow by 124% between 2022 and 2050, even as collection rates remain as low as 31%. With the pressure mounting, we look at what stands between the continent and a waste system capable of keeping pace.
Mercy Maina – Editor
 | Africa’s waste crisis is placing growing pressure on systems already struggling to finance universal collection. A new Greenpeace report on North Africa finds that revenues from recovered plastic are insufficient to cover the costs of recovery, exposing an imbalance between the cost of managing waste and the revenue generated from recovered materials. |
The World Bank estimates that universal waste collection in middle-income countries requires about 0.3–0.5% of GDP a year, while reported public spending is below 0.15% in most low- and middle-income countries.
The revenue gap limits authorities’ ability to manage waste effectively, contributing to growing volumes of unmanaged waste. Closing the gap will require new approaches to financing, from stronger producer contributions to public, development and private capital.
Our take: Underfunding waste collection has wider costs for the environment and public health… Read more (2 min)
 | External funding for Africa’s circular economy reached $13.4 million over the past two months, with August accounting for $10.5 million and September $2.9 million. The total was largely driven by a single $10.5 million grant from the Global Environment Facility to the Seychelles in August, which accounted for 78.3% of total funding. |
Venture funding dominated by deal count, accounting for three of the five deals, while grants dominated by funding value, accounting for $10.5 million.
Waste collection and aggregation dominated the funded initiatives, appearing across three of the five deals.
Our take: Funders are increasingly backing waste businesses built around specialised feedstocks rather than waste as a single market… Read more (2 min)
 | The electric vehicle boom in Africa is expected to create significant volumes of end-of-life batteries, opening an opportunity to build a new battery circular economy. But a new UNEP report warns that without local capacity to collect, reuse and recycle these batteries, countries could receive the vehicles while losing much of the value in their batteries overseas. |
Africa is already a major destination for used vehicles, with China projected to supply 45% of Sub-Saharan Africa's used vehicle imports by 2050, ahead of Europe, Japan and Korea.
What happens to the batteries after their first life will determine how much value the region retains.
Our take: Demand for decentralised energy storage could create a strong market for used batteries…Read more (2 min)
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Source: Abdullahi Suleiman Ezhin
A waste collection tricycle in Nigeria
Events
💃 Be at the South Africa 2026 Local Circularity Summit & E-Waste Festival (0ct 12)
📦 Sign up for the 6th Africa International E-Waste Conference in Kenya (Oct 15)
🪪 Network at WasteCon 2026 in South Africa (Oct 20)
♻️ Learn to unlock circular value chain for Africa’s energy transition (virtual) (Oct 21)
🤝 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
👷🏾 Operate pyrolysis equipment at Root & Carbon (Nigeria)
🧕🏽 Oversee the operational delivery of a plastics project at ICAO (Kenya)
👩🏻💼 Coordinate the operational delivery of a plastics project at UNDP (Kenya)
👨🏼💼 Support implementation of circularity programme at Expertise France (Burundi)
🧕🏼 Consult on environmental health and waste at WHO (Egypt)
👨🏾💼 Provide business advisory for plastic recycling project at Technoserve (Nigeria)
Various
🪫 UNEP recommends policies to govern end-of-life EV battery management
🪣 UNCTAD identifies services as a missing link in the fight against plastic pollution
🥤 GreenPeace counts the cost of plastic pollution in North Africa
💹 Global waste-to-energy market to reach $58.8 billion by 2036
🍩 Food waste in SA is increasingly becoming a supply-chain problem
🦽 The final cohort of the CirculaRise Accelerator in Kenya is open
Seen on LinkedIn
Hellen Kahaso Dena, Project Lead for the Pan-African Plastics Project at Greenpeace Africa, says, “ The burden of global overproduction cannot continue to fall on recipient nations. Fast fashion conglomerates and Global North policymakers must address waste colonialism at its source.True sustainability means holding fast fashion brands accountable while investing in localized circular infrastructure.”