Plastic bans test circular economy readiness

September 30, 2026

Dear subscriber,

Africa is getting tougher on plastic. But banning a material is one thing; replacing it is another. As restrictions spread across the continent, we look at what could make or break the transition — and the questions businesses may need to answer.

Mercy Maina – Editor

Plastic bans test circular economy readiness

African governments are increasingly turning to bans and restrictions to tackle plastic pollution, with Angola becoming the latest country to introduce a plastic ban in September. Yet the transition is proving difficult, with the lack of affordable and accessible alternatives emerging as a key barrier to reducing plastic use. 

  • At least 36 African countries have implemented some form of plastic restriction, but the scope and effectiveness of these measures vary considerably across the continent.

  • As restrictions expand and enforcement remains challenging, the question is whether Africa is developing the systems needed to make the shift away from plastic genuinely circular.  

  • Our take: Reducing plastic use will need to go hand in hand with building the systems that replace it… Read more (2 min)

Opinion: Lessons from Africa’s first licensed e-waste smelter

The circular economy needs to move beyond waste collection and pilot projects towards industrial processing capacity, argues Joost de Kluijver of Closing the Loop. Drawing on the company’s experience developing an e-waste processing facility in Lagos, he says lasting circularity will require infrastructure, investment and industrial capability.

  • Mr Kluijver is the CEO and founder of Closing the Loop, a Dutch “for-profit, for-impact” company that has established electronic waste collection programmes across Africa and Asia since 2012. The company is currently partnering with UN entities, the technology sector, investors, and European and African governments to develop Africa’s first dedicated facility for turning electronic waste into metals in Nigeria.

  • “The question is no longer whether Africa produces enough e-waste to justify serious processing infrastructure,” he says. “The question is whether businesses, governments and (development) investors are prepared to stop funding circularity as a series of projects — and start building it as an industry.”

  • Read the full opinion article here (2 min)

The value in Africa’s mounting food waste

As the world marked the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on September 29, attention is turning to the economic and environmental costs of discarded food, with a recent Nigerian study linking it to public health risks. For Africa, the question is whether the continent can capture more value from its growing food waste.

  • More than 1 billion meals are left uneaten every day globally, according to UNEP, while studies in cities and communities across Africa record household food waste of more than 100kg per person a year. 

  • Food waste is a major component of Africa’s largely organic urban waste stream, creating a significant circulare conomy opportunity if more of it can be diverted into productive uses. 

  • Our take: For a continent struggling with food insecurity, the highest value intervention will be to prevent edible food from becoming waste in the first place…Read more (2 min)

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Source: City of Cape Town

The Coastal Park Landfill gas-to-energy plant in Cape Town

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)

🤝 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  DDC Technician (Water Systems) at Amentum (Seychelles)

🧑‍🚒 Pursue a role as a  DDC Technician (Water Systems) at Amentum (Mauritius)

🧑‍💼 Apply for the DDC Technician (Water Systems) role at Amentum (Kenya)

🧕🏽Become a  DDC Technician (Water Systems) at Amentum (Uganda)

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🧑‍🦱 Step into the role of a Water Systems Chemist (Mauritius)

🧝 Be the next Program Manager-Circular Economy at AECF (Kenya)

🧑‍🦳 Work as a Circular Economy Consultant at ITU (Africa)

👷🏿 Join Jade Textile as an Environment Engineer (Egypt)

Various 

💹 South Africa waste management market to reach $15.1 billion by 2034

🙆 Africa has the perfect climate for biodigesters, but not the perfect bin

🔌 Seven solutions for building stronger circular electronics ecosystems in Africa

📑 Global advanced recycling of plastic packaging market to grow to $8.3b by 2033 

📃 The role of waste recovery certificates Africa

🦹 Criminal gangs infiltrate Abuja's informal waste collection trade

💧 Hydrogen build-out opens new markets for circular businesses

♻️ World Bank launches initiative to help build sustainable circular industries

Seen on LinkedIn 

UNDP says, “ A takeaway coffee, a plastic bottle, a quick lunch. For travellers, these are small, easy-to-overlook conveniences. But in places that welcome millions of visitors each year, they quickly add up, becoming part of a much larger flow of plastic waste generated locally.”