Prominent C40 representatives met with three of the C40’s African cities to learn about their current solid waste management practices and their priorities for the future.

The Director of C40’s Solid Waste Initiative Ricardo Cepeda-Marquez and C40 Africa Regional Director Hastings Chikoko met with representatives from Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg to determine areas where the C40 could support the cities in improving solid waste managementto reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Director of Waste Management and Regulation for the City of Johannesburg, Makhosazana Baker, believes that engaging with other C40 cities will enable Johannesburg to adopt relevant waste management technologies and solutions.

Ricardo says the meetings offer the opportunity for inter-city learning as well as for sharing experience. “…[D]uring my visits to Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg and Addis Ababa, I have been encouraged by their commitment to improving the way they are managing waste. It is, however, evident that there is still more work to be done to achieve the goals that these cities have set,” he says.

Cities’ plans and achievements

The City of Johannesburg has already undertaken waste minimisation strategies and recycling programmes. The city is also converting five landfill sites to power generation.

Dar es Salaam is looking to develop an integrated management plan with a supporting legal framework. It is also planning to improve the collection, transportation and disposal of waste.

One of Addis Ababa’s top priorities is to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill disposal. This will be achieved by its composting infrastructure and recovery of recyclables. The city is in the process of developing a new sanitary landfill and three transfer stations and there is a strong interest in exploring advanced technologies for energy recovery from waste.