| Overview : Poor waste management is identified as a major cause of environmental degradation in Zambia, and while national figures do not exist, in Lusaka in 2017, Lusaka City Council estimated that the City of Lusaka generates approximately one million tons of waste annually but that only about 30-40% of that is collected and taken to a dumpsite. A 2017 study on six of the largest urban centers in Zambia also concluded that only a small proportion of solid waste is disposed at dumpsites, with the remainder being buried or burned both having negative impacts on the environment. The complex structure of solid waste management at the policy and governance level, together with the lack of reliable data compound the situation.
The National Solid Waste Management Strategy explicitly notes the importance of recycling and reuse. Noted actions or strategies to enhance recycling include: introducing incentives, generation of a database of recyclable products, encouraging the reclamation of mining waste, improving environmental reporting, enhancing waste characterization and separation at source, and “development of legislation to obligate producers on their responsibility for their products” (ZDA, 2016c). However, conventional approaches to solid waste management operate on the linear process of collection and disposal, with little to no consideration given to reducing the waste generated, reusing materials or recycling
While there is limited information available relating to recycling in Zambia, a meta-analysis looked at factors influencing sustainable recycling of municipal solid waste in developing countries. It was found that government policy and finances, household demographics (including socioeconomic and educational factors), waste characterization, waste collection and separation, education amongst SWM personnel, administration of SWM systems, local markets for recyclables, availability of technological and human resources, and land availability all influencing recycling in these settings (Troschinetz et al., 2009). As described above, there is a broad framework that recognises the importance and value of recycling, but the limited information on the topic in Zambia indicates that this has not translated into implementation of recycling practices at scale.
A consultant is required to do a market analysis of the recycling sector and companies involved in using recyclable material as raw materials for their business. Including a scan of the current companies active in this sector in Zambia and the feasibility of recycling waste in other areas where no company is engaged.
|
