Africa Waste Management Market Size (2024 - 2029)

Africa Waste Management Market Analysis

The Africa Waste Management Market size is estimated at USD 41.57 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 56.08 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 6.12% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

Africa's waste management market is driven by government initiatives and projects. Furthermore, the market is driven by the companies emerging in the sector to increase recycling needs.

Africa's urban population is growing at a faster rate than any other continent (3.5% per year). Although waste generation in Africa is currently lower than in the developed world, Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to overtake the developed world as the dominant region in terms of total waste generation if current generation trends continue. Population growth, rapid urbanisation, a growing middle class, changing consumption habits and production patterns, and global waste trade and trafficking all contribute to waste generation in Africa, as it does in other developing regions around the world. Inadequate waste management in Africa is causing economic, social, and environmental problems. However, there are some encouraging signs.

Most of the Municipal Solid Waste collection services in many African countries are inadequate. With an average of 57% of MSW in Africa being biodegradable organic waste, the bulk of the waste is dumped. About 90% of the waste generated in Africa is disposed of on land, typically in uncontrolled and controlled dumpsites. Only about 4% of the waste generated in Africa is recycled, often by informal actors (as with reuse). In recent years, Africa has become a dumping ground for waste, particularly hazardous waste, often originating in developed countries. More than 130 people have died in landfill collapses in Africa in the past year, 2/3 of whom were women. In Africa, a number of social and technology innovations have taken place in the waste sector to address these concerns.

The average MSW collection rate is low (mostly organic waste), and the majority of it is dumped, even though the fact that it could provide significant socioeconomic opportunities. Recycling is emerging as a viable business across Africa, driven more by poverty, unemployment, and socioeconomic needs than by public or private sector design. An army of unpaid waste collectors makes a living by recovering valuable resources at little to no cost to municipalities or private companies.

Africa Waste Management Industry Segmentation

Waste management (or waste disposal) covers all of the procedures and actions necessary to control trash from the point of origin to the point of disposal. This covers garbage collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal, as well as the oversight and control of the waste management procedure.

A complete background analysis of the African waste management market, including the assessment of the economy and contribution of sectors in the economy, market overview, market size estimation for key segments, emerging trends in the market segments, market dynamics, geographical trends, and COVID-19 impact, is included in the report.

Africa's waste management market is segmented by waste type (industrial waste, municipal solid waste, hazardous waste, e-waste, plastic waste, and bio-medical waste) and by disposal methods (landfill, incineration, dismantling, and recycling).

The report offers market size and forecasts in value (USD) for all the above segments.