Reducing Methane Emissions from Africa’s Waste Sector through Enhanced Waste Practices

The document examines the waste management crisis in Africa, specifically focusing on the release of methane and black carbon from open burning and poor landfill practices. It highlights the disproportionate health risks to women and children and the marginalization of informal waste workers. The paper advocates for transitioning to a circular economy and implementing strategies such as composting, anaerobic digestion, and gas capture systems to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and unlock economic value.

• Poor waste management in sub-Saharan Africa, characterized by uncontrolled disposal and open burning, contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane, which has a warming potential 25 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period.
• Open waste burning in Africa releases black carbon, a pollutant that contributes to global warming and poses severe health risks. Women and children are disproportionately affected, with toxins accumulating in women's tissues due to higher body fat content and being passed to infants through breastfeeding.
• Africa faces unique waste challenges, including a projected doubling of waste generation by 2050 and the highest per capita contribution to open waste burning globally. Additionally, informal waste workers, who handle a substantial portion of waste, often operate in hazardous conditions and are overlooked in policy decisions.
• Global waste management modeling suggests that a circular economy approach, where resources are reused and waste is minimized, could result in a global net gain of USD 108.5 billion, compared to a 'business as usual' cost of USD 640.3 billion by 2050.

APA

Aminu, M. D. (2024). Reducing Methane Emissions from Africa’s Waste Sector through Enhanced Waste Practices. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/reducing-methane-emissions-from-africas-waste-sector-through-enhanced-waste-practices

Chicago

Aminu, Mohammed Dahiru. Reducing Methane Emissions from Africa’s Waste Sector through Enhanced Waste Practices. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2024. https://afripoli.org/reducing-methane-emissions-from-africas-waste-sector-through-enhanced-waste-practices.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aminu |first1=Mohammed Dahiru |title=Reducing Methane Emissions from Africa’s Waste Sector through Enhanced Waste Practices |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=17 December 2024 |url=https://afripoli.org/reducing-methane-emissions-from-africas-waste-sector-through-enhanced-waste-practices |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aminu2024reducing, author = {Aminu, Mohammed Dahiru}, title = {{Reducing Methane Emissions from Africa’s Waste Sector through Enhanced Waste Practices}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://afripoli.org/reducing-methane-emissions-from-africas-waste-sector-through-enhanced-waste-practices}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }