News about waste and recycling

Aerial-view of Community Mini-grid serving three communities in Egbeke Etche Rivers, NIgeria by Entric
Imagine a world where electricity isn’t simply a product, but a transformative force — a gateway to education, healthcare, commerce, industry and comfort. In this world, energy access companies don’t just provide solar home systems or mini-grids;
Uganda has made significant strides in addressing e-waste management alongside clean energy expansion under the EASP. The project allocates $110 million for off-grid solutions, focusing on financing energy service companies involved in off-grid solar, clean cooking, and productive-use technologies.
Drawing from my experiences working on methane emissions, particularly in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, and my ongoing engagement with waste management stakeholders and experts, I want to share my thoughts on how waste-to-energy (WtE) solutions can reshape African cities.
The government of Rwanda is considering scaling up eco-friendly technology to generate biogas from wastewater treatment and be used as cooking fuel across different schools in the country.Anaerobic baffled reactor is a type of sanitation technology that is designed to treat wastewater and fecal sludge, thereby producing energy.
The rise of renewable energy solutions, such as off-grid solar (OGS) systems, has been a game changer for many developing regions, providing clean, accessible energy to areas without reliable electricity grids. However, as these systems become more widespread, new challenges emerge, especially in the area of electronic waste (e-waste) management.
Of the 375 million solar energy kits that have been sold and distributed to off-grid populations around the world by the formal off-grid solar sector since the early 2000s, more than 250 million are estimated to have fallen into disrepair.
Experts warn of a future wave of hazardous waste, especially because South Africa lacks proper systems to reuse, recycle, or dispose of panels. With tonnes of solar panels being imported, experts warn of a future wave of hazardous waste. The problem? South Africa lacks proper systems to reuse, recycle, or even dispose of these panels responsibly.
The rise of decentralised renewable energy (DRE) systems in Africa has brought about an increased deployment of batteries, particularly lead-acid batteries, which are the most used battery-type on the continent. As production volumes soar, the issue of sustainable battery recycling has come to the forefront.
Researchers at The University of Manchester have identified dangerous levels of lead pollution in Malawi due to informal recycling of lead-acid batteries from off-grid solar systems. Common informal recycling activities for lead-acid batteries used in solar energy systems were recorded to release 3.5-4.7 kg of lead pollution from a typical battery.