Africans reuse, repair, recycle and resell waste: what’s needed to build on the circular economy basics

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In many African cities, a broken fridge is rarely thrown away immediately. It may be repaired and resold, dismantled for spare parts or collected for its metal components.

Old clothes are often altered or transformed into something new. Leftover crop stalks and leaves are turned into animal feed, compost, cooking fuel or biogas.

These activities are often driven by need. Incomes are limited and it's expensive to replace appliances or worn out clothes. Sometimes recycling also happens because of unreliable waste collection.

These are also examples of a circular economy. This is where products and materials are kept in use for as long as possible. It's the opposite of a system where resources are extracted from nature and turned into goods that are sold, used and eventually thrown away.

We are circular economy specialists who look at how recycling and repair practices are already part of everyday economic activity across Africa. Our aim is to find ways for policymakers to take small projects and scale them up.

In our latest research, we looked at policies and examples from African countries to find out how circular economy practices are taking off on the continent.

Our research found that circular economies aren't happening everywhere. Thirty-four African countries have banned plastic bags to some degree. Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco have set up facilities to recycle e-waste (discarded electronic devices). They've also set up projects that turn waste into energy. Kenya has rules that make manufacturers responsible for collecting and recycling their products after people finish using them.

Somalia, Sudan and Congo, however, still depend heavily on a system in which products are made, used and discarded.

Africa's circular economy has been discussed by governments, businesses, development agencies and international organisations as if it needs to be based on an imported model of formal waste-management systems and high-tech recycling.

These approaches may have a role, but repairers, reclaimers (also known as waste pickers), farmers and small businesses across Africa are already repairing, reusing, reselling, sharing, recovering materials and converting organic waste into productive resources.

In other words, circular practices are already embedded in everyday economic activity in African countries. The priority is therefore not to replace these practices. What's needed is to recognise and improve them, and find ways to make them happen on a bigger scale. This means giving local businesses and communities the finance, infrastructure, skills and supportive policies they need to expand what is already working.

Progress is possible but uneven

Our research found that several African countries have introduced policies and initiatives supporting aspects of a circular economy. For example, Rwanda has acted against plastic pollution and developed facilities for processing electronic waste.

South Africa has come up with rules for producers of goods to help manage and pay for their products even after selling them. These rules compel producers to support collection, reuse and recycling. This keeps materials in circulation and reduces waste.

Kenya has taken significant measures against single use plastic bags. In Ghana, the National Plastic Action Partnership brings together government, business and civil society. Nigeria is developing a national circular economy roadmap. Nigerian groups like Wecyclers have connected informal collectors with recycling markets.

Greater opportunities exist across agriculture and food systems, manufacturing, energy, and water and sanitation.

However, a policy on paper does not automatically produce an effective system. Waste collection remains inadequate in many African cities. There aren't many recycling facilities on the continent. Local authorities often lack the funds, equipment and technical capacity to enforce regulations. Political instability and unreliable electricity supplies can make long term investment in circular economy projects difficult.

What needs to happen next

Africa's move towards a circular economy must start with the basics: collecting waste, sorting it properly and disposing of it safely. As our research found, expensive technologies will not work well if waste is never collected or is too contaminated to recycle.

The African Union's Continental Circular Economy Action Plan has some useful ideas on this. But its success will depend on how well it is put into practice in local communities. For many countries, improving everyday waste services should come before investing in high-tech solutions.

Informal workers including reclaimers, repairers and second-hand traders are already central to Africa's circular economy. They should be supported by governments. They need training, safer working conditions, facilities to work in, fair compensation and social protection. Including these workers in formal circular economy systems, while protecting their livelihoods, can help build a more inclusive and effective circular economy.

The success of circular economy policies should be judged on more than how much waste is kept out of rubbish dumps. Policymakers need to make sure that people benefit from the circular economy. Working conditions of recyclers should improve, recovered products must be affordable and local recycling enterprises must remain viable.

Africa's circular economy will emerge strongly if governments, businesses, communities, researchers and informal workers work together. The foundations of a circular economy already exist. African countries have a strong culture of repairing and reusing goods. Local experts and entrepreneurs who turn discarded materials into value are valued. The task now is to support these efforts without destroying the social and economic systems that sustain them.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Michael Odei Erdiaw-Kwasie, Senior Lecturer in Sustainability| Business and Accounting Discipline, Charles Darwin University And

Amila Udage, Research associate, Charles Darwin University And

Matthew Abunyewah, Research Active Lecturer, Discipline of Psychology, Charles Darwin University, Charles Darwin University