Inclusive Growth and the Informal Waste Sector in Africa: Exploring - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Inclusive Growth and the Informal Waste Sector in Africa: Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities

Martin Medina

Contact: martin.medina-martinez.grd.genr@aya.yale.edu

Waste Management in Africa

 One of the Most Pressing Urban

Environmental Problems

 Neglected in Sub-Saharan Africa  North – South “Continental Divide”

Projected Changes in Urban and Rural Populations by Region for 2050

(millions)

Waste Collection Proper Disposal

Low-Income Countries 40 % 5 % Middle-Income Countries 60 % 30 % High-Income Countries 100 % 100 %

Waste Collection and Disposal by Income Levels

Waste Collection by Region

Region Waste Collection

OECD 97 % MENA Countries 85 % LAC Countries 78 % Europe and Central Asia 78 % East Asia and Pacific 78 % South Asia 64 % Sub-Saharan Africa 45 %

Projections of Urban Population and Waste Generation in Sub-Saharan Africa

(population in millions; waste in ‘000s of tons/day)

Main Problems

 Air, Water, and Land Pollution and Pose

Risks to Human Health and the Environment

 Many Cities Unable to Provide Adequate

Waste Management Services

 Inappropriate Technologies  Worsening Trend in the Near Future

Freetown, Sierra Leone

The Informal Waste Sector (IWS)

 1% of the Urban Population: up to 15

Million Worldwide (2.5 million in Africa), with an Economic Impact of US $ Billions

 Traditionally Poor, Ignored, Exploited, or

Repressed

The Informal Waste Sector

 Scavengers  Informal Waste Collectors  Manufacturing with Waste Materials  Provision of Services

Informal Waste Sector Workers

 Vulnerable segment of the Population:

* Recent migrants * Unemployed * Widows * Disabled * Elderly * Children

When the IWS is Supported:

 Create Jobs  Reduce Poverty  Supply Inexpensive Materials to

Industry

 Reduce Pollution

When the IWS is Supported:

 Conserve Natural Resources  Save Cities in Waste Collection and

Disposal

 Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

And Yet…

 IWS Activities are Illegal in Most

African Countries

 No Government Policies / Programs

Linking IWS, Poverty, Waste Management and Green Growth

The African IWS

• Grassroots Efforts to Make a Living

and Satisfy a Social Need

• Entrepreneurial Activity
• Invest Their Own Resources
• Appropriate Technologies

Lagos, Nigeria

Lagos, Nigeria

Nairobi, Kenya

The IWS in South Africa

Scavengers Popularly Known as Salvagers

• r Reclaimers

Traditionally Black (Before / After Apartheid) Despite Black Economic Empowerment, They Have Been Ignored Many Cities Selling the Right to Recover Recyclables to Private Companies

The IWS in South Africa

1) Msunduzi Municipality

Repression: Reduction of 80% in Income

2) Metsimaholo Municipality Scavenging Allowed, but Forced to Sell Materials

to a Black Economic Empowerment Company

3) Emfuleni Municipality Trying to Incorporate the IWS, but not Part of

the Decision Process

The IWS in Tunisia

 ECO-Lef Program: 1997  National Program for Recovery and Recycling

• f Post-Consumer Packaging

 Initially Signed Contracts with 2 Private

Companies

 Residents Could Deposit Their

Packaging in 470 Bins Throughout the Country

The IWS in Tunisia

• Collection Depots Purchase Materials

by the Kg.

• Over 300 Throughout the Country
• Income Opportunities for ›11,000 Poor

Individuals

• Formed 2,000 Micro-enterprises
• The IWS Increased Volume and

Reduced Collection Costs

The IWS in Tunisia

The IWS in Egypt

 Cairo’s IWS Manages about 60% of

the city’s Wastes

 The IWS Recycles 80% of Each Ton of

Wastes They Collect, One of the Highest Recycling Rates in the World

 Government Never Supportive

The IWS in Egypt

• In 2002 Government Awarded Contracts to

Private Companies for Waste Collection

• In 2009 it Admitted that Service Had

Deteriorated in that Period

• Also in 2009, the Government Ordered all Pigs

Killed due to Swine Flu Fears (no cases in Egypt)

• Today Organic Waste Accumulates on the

Streets

The IWS in Egypt: Waste Collection

The IWS in Egypt: Recycling

The IWS in Egypt: Manufacturing

IWS Income in Selected Cities

The IWS in Asia and LA

• Legal Recognition and National Programs

in Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Philippines

• Grassroots Efforts to Get Organized and

for Their Social Inclusion More Advanced in LA

• The World Bank and IADB Now Work

with the IWS

The IWS in Latin America:

Co-operatives

 1,000 Cooperatives in South America  In Brazil, Scavengers Organized a

National Movement, with 500 Cooperatives and 60,000 Members

National Movement of Catadores

National March in Brasilia

“Grito dos Excluidos” in Brazil

“Grito dos Excluidos” in Brazil

Educational Campaign

Meeting with President Lula da Silva

The IWS in Latin America

 National Movements in Argentina,

Colombia, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay

 In process in India and Paraguay  Latin American Network Created in

2005

Public-Private Partnerships With the IWS: Colombia

Public-Private Partnerships With the IWS: Colombia

Housing Units for IWS Workers in Bogotá

Conclusions

 Africa Will Face Significant Challenges in

Waste Management in the Coming Decades

 IWS Activities Render Social, Economic,

and Environmental Benefits

 The IWS can be Part of the Solution, but Its

Development Potential is not Harnessed

 Africa can Learn from Asia and Latin

America

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