Africa’s population is set to double from 1.2 billion this year to 2.4 billion by 2050, according to UNICEF research, resulting in a surge in waste creation. In a continent where only around half of rubbish is collected and disposed of in a managed way, the need to implement safe and environmentally friendly waste disposal solutions is critical.
In Sierra Leone, U.K. charity Living Earth has been tackling this issue through a scheme that trains locals to collect domestic rubbish and convert it into income-generating products. Based in the northern city of Makeni, the Waste to Wealth, or W2W, program is run in cooperation with the City Council, funded initially by the U.K. Department for International Development, and more recently by the U.N. Development Program. Started in 2013, it has resulted in the creation of Sierra Leone’s first official recycling center, and the establishment of five enterprises that convert waste into marketable goods.
The charity estimates Makeni’s residents produce about 115 tons of rubbish a day. However, the City Council’s resources for waste collection are limited, with less than 10 percent of household waste reaching the municipal dump site. Waste lining the streets, being burned outside houses or clogging up storm drains causes social, health and environmental problems. These include the spread of waterborne diseases or those passed on by vermin such as rats, cockroaches and mosquitoes. Environmental problems caused by the waste include flooding and air pollution when the waste is burned.
About the author
Gabriella Jóźwiak@GabriellaJ
Gabriella Jóźwiak is an award-winning journalist based in London. Her work on issues and policies affecting children and young people in developing countries and the U.K. has been published in national newspapers and magazines. Having worked in-house for domestic and international development charities, Jóźwiak has a keen interest in organizational development, and has worked as a journalist in several countries across West Africa and South America.