06/01/2026
The $40 Billion Opportunity: How Waste Pickers Are Powering Africa’s Circular Economy
When we talk about the circular economy, we often focus on technology, policy, and investment. Too often, we overlook the people already making it work.
Across Africa and the Global South waste pickers are the backbone of recycling systems, recovering up to 50–100% of all recycled materials in many cities. Globally, 15–20 million people work in the informal waste sector, quietly reducing landfill pressure, cutting methane emissions, and supplying raw materials to multi-million-dollar recycling industries.
In cities like Kampala, where only 40–50% of waste is formally collected, waste pickers fill a critical service gap intercepting plastics, metals, and cardboard before they pollute waterways or overburden landfills. Yet despite enabling an estimated $40 billion in unrealized value from recyclable materials across developing economies, most waste pickers earn less than $5 a day, operating without legal recognition, social protection, or safety equipment.
This is not a story of charity it is a story of economic efficiency, climate action, and urban resilience.
Evidence from countries like Brazil and South Africa shows that integrating waste pickers through registration, cooperatives, and municipal partnerships:
• Improves recycling rates
• Creates safer, dignified livelihoods
• Reduces public waste management costs
• Accelerates climate mitigation outcomes
Upcycle Africa community believe Africa’s circular economy cannot scale by excluding the people who already run it. Recognizing, integrating, and investing in waste pickers is not optional it is essential.
📖 Read the full blog here:
👉 https://upcycleafrica.com/the-40-billion-opportunity-how-waste-pickers-are-africas-unsung-economic-heroes/
