Background
According to the World Bank Urban Development Series report, urban areas currently generate 2.01 billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) annually, with at least 33 per cent not managed in an environmentally safe manner.
Available data also shows that 174 million tonnes per annum of solid waste (SW) was generated in Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA) in 2016. This being one of the fastest-growing regions the total waste generation is expected triple to about 516 million tons by 2050.
Poor solid waste management practices have remained a major problem in SSA. With the average waste collection rate lying between 18 and 48%, nearly half of all MSW generated in Africa, remains within our cities and towns, dumped onto sidewalks, open fields, stormwater drains and rivers. Although most wastes are reusable or recyclable, recycling is driven mostly by necessity, poverty and unemployment serving as a source of livelihood for the vulnerable and as a source of cheaper raw materials for industries.
SWM needs to be managed well at the urban level, but many cities and local administrations still face significant challenges in implementing good solid waste management practices. Some of the major contributing factors to poor SWM services in the African cities include:
- Lack of or weak legislation and enforcement
- Low public awareness and negative attitude towards waste management
- Political instability and conflicts
- Insufficient budgetary allocation to SWM services
- Inadequate governance framework
- Lack of infrastructure to support material recovery and recycling
- Lack of a structured market for recycled materials
- Low wages for the informal sector workers
- Lack of coordination of the players in SWM
- Lack of incentives to invest in material recovery and recycling
Objectives of the Connective Cities programme
Connective Cities seeks to support the cities/municipalities address the solid waste mismanagement challenges with a keen spotlight on mainstreaming of circular economy practices. The specific objectives are to:
- Support the participating cities/municipalities develop solutions related to challenges along the SWM chain but specifically looking at how to integrate or leverage on the benefits of circular economy in SWM.
- Expose participants to good practices from the region and internationally.
- Provide a platform for collegial consultation with peers.
The areas to be covered are:
- Review of existing solid waste management action plans to mainstream circular economy and develop implementation strategies.
- Guidelines on design and installation of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs).
- Developing frameworks to mainstream the informal sector workers to safeguard dignity and livelihoods.
- Sector coordination mechanisms.
- How to employ the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) along the value chain.