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- How far can refill & reuse challenge disposable packaging?
How far can refill & reuse challenge disposable packaging?
Dear subscriber,
Africa’s response to plastic waste has largely focused on restricting disposable products. But as packaging continues to challenge waste-management systems, attention is turning to what happens before that waste is created. This week, we examine whether refill & reuse can offer a credible challenge to Africa’s reliance on disposable packaging.
Mercy Maina – Editor
 | While a majority of African countries have introduced bans or restrictions on disposable plastic products, many forms of packaging remain outside existing measures. Environmental groups are now pushing refill & reuse as a way to reduce waste at source, with campaigners handing policy recommendations to Kenya’s government on August 27. |
Disposable packaging has long been the dominant model across Africa. But the scale of plastic waste and gaps in waste-management systems are prompting greater interest in alternatives that keep packaging in use for longer.
Refill & reuse can reduce the need for new packaging by keeping containers in circulation across multiple purchases. But their environmental and commercial benefits depend on how efficiently those containers can be returned and reused.
Our take: Refill & reuse will struggle to displace disposable packaging unless the economics change… Read more (2 min)
 | Africa’s circular economy financing is too focused on packaging, leaving the majority of its waste (organic material) without a clear mechanism for recovery, says environmentalist Frank Adiga. He argues that national circular economy plans must look beyond extended producer responsibility to fund the recovery of organics. |
Mr Adiga is a Chartered Environmentalist and a regional circular economy consultant at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), where his current work includes a six-country study examining the links between the circular economy, climate and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in Southern Africa.
“Extended producer responsibility attaches to a producer who places a product on the market. A banana peel has no brand owner,” he says, calling for new financing approaches to make organic waste recovery economically viable.
Read the full opinion article here (2 min)
 | Africa’s circular economy is seeing a wave of new activity. Data from the Circular Rising project tracker shows that since April, eight new initiatives have been announced across the continent, with a combined disclosed value of at least $2.1 billion. They span physical infrastructure projects and market-enabling programmes. |
North Africa dominates in both the number of initiatives and their value, accounting for three initiatives with a combined disclosed value of $2 billion.
Large-scale waste infrastructure projects dominate the funding picture, with Morocco’s $1.5 billion waste project and Egypt’s $500 million SAF facility accounting for about 95% of the total disclosed value.
Our take: Some of the most significant opportunities appear where circular economy activity intersects with established industries, suggesting that circular models can gain traction when they are tied to existing industrial demand…Read more (2 min)
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Source: End Plastic Pollution
Reusable bamboo, stainless-steel water bottle made by End Plastic Pollution, Uganda
Events
🫂 Connect with peers at the 11th Circular Economy Conference in Kenya (Sept 30)
📦 Sign up for the 6th Africa International E-Waste Conference in Kenya (Oct 15)
🪪 Network at WasteCon 2026 in South Africa (Oct 20)
🤝 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
👷 Serve as a Mine Waste Group Manager-Africa at WSP in Canada (DR Congo)
🧑💼 Work as a Mine Waste Group Manager-Africa at WSP in Canada (South Africa)
🧕🏽 Be the next Project Engineer-Water at Nicholas O'Dwyer (South Africa)
🤱 Apply for the Chief Growth & Investment Officer role at BOFA Group (Kenya)
👱 Support a WtE initiative as a Project Manager (Sierra Leone)
Various
💹 Global circular chemicals market size projected to reach $621.1 billion by 2033
🤝 Meet the duo turning food waste into clean cooking fuel
👗 UNEP seeks proposals to develop S. Africa’s National Textile Life Cycle Inventory
❓ From plastic bans to AI sorting: Why the solutions still don’t add up
Seen on LinkedIn
WWF Tanzania says, “ Some Plastic may seem small and insignificant, but for a whale shark and other marine resources it can be a threat. When whale sharks accidentally ingest plastic, it can cause severe harm to their health and survival. Every piece of plastic removed from our beaches and oceans helps protect these gentle giants and the marine ecosystems they call home.”