Solid Waste Management in Eswatini: Challenges and opportunities

May 05, 2022

The Kingdom of Eswatini, a small, landlocked African nation, home to some of the fastest-growing urban centers in Sub-Saharan Africa, produces around 238,341 tonnes of solid waste every year. The country’s current practices in solid waste management – such as uncontrolled dumping of the waste -- pose serious health and environmental risks. Eswatini needs to institute scientific, cost-effective, and sustainable systems for its waste management. Waste processing and treatment need immediate attention, along with enhancing source segregation and collection efficiency. 

Also, there is an urgent need to review and strengthen the existing legislation as well as the institutional and infrastructural capabilities of Eswatini in order to achieve sustainable solid waste management based on resource conservation and circular economy principles. This scoping study is a step in that direction.