Future Directions of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Africa

The attractiveness of many cities in Africa is marred by the inefficient collection, management, disposal and reuse of municipal solid waste (MSW). Rectifying this requires a change in attitude towards how MSW is viewed. MSW needs to be viewed as a resource that should be incorporated into human development agenda and urban development. This has the potential for generating income for cities in Africa through the re-use of waste for purposes such as energy generation. This, however, requires the adoption of appropriate technologies, most of which are not readily available in Africa. The inability of African countries to make efficient use of their waste through re-use suggests that as a future direction, African countries need to adopt a set of appropriate technologies that will assist them to convert waste into re-usable assets.