Here is a blueprint for higher-value waste-to-energy pathways

From the newsletter

Italy, Japan and UNDP are piloting a biomethane plant in Tunisia’s island city of Djerba. The plant is expected to process 6 tonnes of organic waste from the island’s hotels annually offering clean energy while also cutting harmful emissions and creating new sustainable income streams for local communities.

• Organic matter comprises 55% of Africa’s municipal waste going into landfills, posing environmental pollution and health hazards from methane production.

• Tapping the waste stream for biomethane could turn one of Africa’s biggest environmental liabilities into a strategic energy asset.

More details

• Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Djerba island is the largest island in North Africa and a key tourist attraction. The excessive tourist traffic has led to the generation of large amounts of waste. Hotels alone are estimated to produce between 35%–45% of all the island’s waste, according to 2020 statistics.

• The new facility aims to address this waste challenge by converting it into biomethane, an upgraded form of biogas. Biomethane is produced by purifying biogas until its composition closely resembles natural gas, making it a renewable and more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil natural gas.

• The project aligns with Tunisia’s ambitions to increase its waste-to-energy production by 40% while cutting the volume of landfill material by 54%. Announcing the news on LinkedIn, UNDP said the island “is showing how a circular economy works in real life; simple, practical, and good for people and the planet, and a reminder of how international partnerships can turn ideas into impact.”

• Beyond Tunisia, the Djerba plant signals the wider potential for African countries to transform organic waste from a liability into an asset. Across the continent, organic matter makes up a large share of municipal waste yet is mostly dumped in open sites or poorly managed landfills, where it releases methane and leachate harmful to both the environment and public health. Converting this stream into biomethane would simultaneously reduce pollution, curb emissions and create a new renewable energy source.

• Regionally, biomethane offers a practical bridge between energy transition ambitions and on-the-ground realities. Unlike some large-scale renewable infrastructure, biomethane projects can be designed at different scales, making them adaptable across diverse African contexts. They also deliver a dual advantage of reducing waste volumes while generating clean energy. It can also be integrated into clean cooking programmes, grid injection or even transport fuel, making it central to both energy access and decarbonisation strategies. 

• The sector could also unlock significant value chains. Biomethane initiatives create employment opportunities in waste collection, processing, plant operations and energy distribution. For Africa’s youthful population, the green jobs potential of biomethane is especially relevant, aligning with broader just transition goals. Beyond employment, biomethane can be integrated into wider energy systems through clean cooking programmes, grid injection or even as a transport fuel, linking waste management directly to energy access and decarbonisation.

• Adopting biomethane production would also help the continent align with global climate priorities. At least 19 African countries have joined the Global Methane Pledge, recognising methane as a short-lived yet highly potent greenhouse gas. By converting waste emissions into usable biomethane, such projects would help support national and continental goals on emissions reduction and landfill diversion.

• The challenge, however, lies in scaling. Financing remains a major obstacle, as most biomethane projects require upfront capital that municipalities and private developers often struggle to secure. Regulatory clarity is also limited in many African countries, with few policies or incentives such as feed-in tariffs, landfill taxes or carbon crediting schemes that could make biomethane more competitive against fossil fuels.

• In addition, supporting infrastructure is often underdeveloped, from reliable waste collection systems to the pipelines and distribution networks needed to deliver gas to end-users. Without stronger enabling frameworks and investment in both hard and soft infrastructure, many projects risk stalling at pilot stage rather than progressing to commercially viable scale.

Our take

• The Djerba model, anchored in the tourism sector, could be replicated in other destinations like Zanzibar, Mombasa or Mauritius where organic hotel waste is both abundant and underutilised.

• By moving beyond basic biogas to upgraded biomethane, Tunisia’s initiative offers a blueprint for other African countries seeking higher-value waste-to-energy pathways.

• For countries facing persistent energy access gaps, biomethane provides a decentralised and reliable power option that simultaneously addresses mounting waste challenges.