Johannesburg hosts major pan-Africa meet on solid waste management

• Jointly organised by India-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and South Africa government’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment 
• Two-day seventh meeting of the Global Forum of Cities for Circular Economy is being attended by delegates from 18 African countries 
• CSE releases new report on best practices in solid waste management in Africa  

You can see the event proceedings etc click here 

January 28, 2025, Johannesburg, South Africa: The seventh meeting of the Global Forum of Cities for Circular Economy (GFCCE) commenced here today with delegates from 18 African nations in attendance. The meeting is being jointly hosted from January 28 to January 29 by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the India-based think tank. 

The meeting seeks to strengthen South-South cooperation for improving solid waste management in countries of the Global South. 

Inaugurating the meeting, Bernice Swarts, Deputy Minister, DEFE, Government of the Republic of South Africa said: “The GFCCE exemplifies the essence of South-South cooperation by uniting nations under a shared vision to mainstream and integrate circular economy throughout the African continent.” 

Speaking at the meeting after opening it with Swarts, CSE Director General Sunita Narain said: “Circular economy is not just a buzz-word. It is a practice which helps transform waste into wealth. And we in the Global South must take ownership of the idea of circular economy. It has traditionally been ours – we have always have had the practice of reuse, reduce and recycle.” 

Delegates from Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe participated in the event. 

On this occasion, CSE released a compendium of best case studies on solid waste management from all over Africa. 

Since its inception in 2021, the Forum has grown into a community of 22 member states, including 18 African and four Southeast Asian countries. This platform is committed to advancing circular economy principles in line with national policies and priorities. Discussions at this meeting will focus on the Forum’s progress and the development of sustainable implementation models. 

Over time, the community has collaboratively developed a common agenda addressing issues such as integration of informal waste pickers, and the implementation of single-use plastic bans. A key objective is to establish a data management system in Africa, inspired by India’s Swachh Survekshan, the world’s largest sanitation survey. 

"Indian cities have made extraordinary progress in waste management over the past decade, thanks to the political will and data-driven approach of the Government of India. Through this forum, we aim to share the Indian experience of Swachh Survekshan with other Global South countries," said Atin Biswas, Programme Director, Municipal Solid Waste and Circular Economy Unit at CSE. 

The Forum also facilitates learning and knowledge exchange between countries. For example, the implementation of carry bag bans in East African nations such as Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda has demonstrated that nationwide bans on single-use plastics can be effective. These experiences have been shared with other member states including India to inform development of a strategy for identifying avoidable and problematic single-use plastics and creating a road map for their phase out.  

“The Forum’s members are actively participating in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. While India can learn from East African nations about implementing bans, African countries can benefit from India’s methodology for developing criteria for single-use plastics,” said Siddharth G Singh, Programme Manager, Municipal Solid Waste and Circular Economy Unit, CSE. 

The GFCCE has played a pivotal role in fostering knowledge exchange among member states. In 2023, delegates from 18 Global South countries visited Pune, Maharashtra, to learn about integrating the informal sector into waste management systems.  

“Through GFCCE, we aim to shape policies that integrate informal waste pickers into formal systems, ensuring a fair and inclusive transition. This is particularly relevant for Africa, where the informal sector plays a significant role in waste management. South Africa alone has an estimated 60,000 to 90,000 informal waste pickers,” said Mou Sengupta, Programme Manager, Municipal Solid Waste and Circular Economy Unit at CSE. 

The GFCCE community emphasizes that while waste management involves technological challenges, it ultimately revolves around people. A sound waste management system cannot succeed without active public participation. 

Through this Forum, CSE has worked closely with member states to address their national waste management priorities. The seventh meeting seeks to reassess these priorities and explore how South-South collaboration can help overcome the challenges of waste management. 

For more on the Forum or the meeting, please contact Mou Sengupta at mou.sengupta@cseindia.org, +91 98364 48262