article · Waste Management Bulletin
Municipal solid waste collection across Sub-Saharan Africa remains low, leading to severe environmental and health challenges. A decision-support methodology was developed and tested along Ethiopia's Addis Ababa to Adama corridor, alongside transferability testing in Ghana. Combining material flow analysis, hotspot screening, scenario modelling, sustainability assessments, and obstacle-based planning, the research examined regional waste streams using predominantly primary data. Organic waste comprises between 65 percent and 69.5 percent of total municipal solid waste, representing the main environmental hotspot when openly discarded. Diverting this organic material toward composting reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 14 to 35 percent across corridor towns. This shift also supported safer formal employment and improved income security for local waste workers. To tackle the institutional fragmentation that restricts the regional formal collection rate to 52 percent, a dedicated Special-Purpose Association governance model provides an actionable framework for circular economy planning.
Low waste collection rates in rapidly growing African urban corridors threaten public health and worsen climate impacts. Demonstrating that organic waste diversion cuts emissions by up to 35 percent while generating secure, safer formal jobs offers municipal authorities an evidence-based roadmap. Combining physical waste modelling with dedicated inter-municipal governance structures allows regional planners to replace informal open dumping with sustainable circular economy practices.
The decision-support framework and governance model offer applied tools for municipal planners, regional utility authorities, and waste management enterprises designing composting systems. Having been developed and tested in Ethiopia and evaluated for transferability in Ghana, the methodology represents an applied planning solution ready for policy and pilot deployment, enabling local authorities and waste contractors to optimise organic waste processing infrastructure and formalise collection workforces.
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Sub-Saharan Africa's municipal solid waste collection averages only 44% (2010–2018), and mismanaged waste is a growing environmental and public-health burden. The SuCCESS24 project developed and tested an integrated decision-support methodology, combining Material Flow Analysis (MFA), hotspot screening, scenario modeling, an SDG-based multi-dimensional sustainability assessment, and Obstacle-Based Planning (OBP) for the Addis Ababa–Adama corridor in Ethiopia, with transferability tested in Ghana. The functional unit was 1 tonne of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated per year; 68% of model parameters were primary data from structured interviews and 32% were secondary data. The organic fraction (65–69.5% of MSW) and its open disposal emerged as the dominant environmental hotspot. Diverting organic waste to composting cut greenhouse gas GHG emissions by 14–35% across corridor towns (up to 35% in Bishoftu, at a 50% diversion rate), and the SDG-based assessment linked this shift to safer formal employment and improved income security for waste workers. To address institutional fragmentation behind the corridor's 52% formal collection rate, the project proposes a Special-Purpose Association governance model. Together, the technical and governance findings show how corridor-scale MFA and institutional innovation can be combined to advance circular economy planning in Sub-Saharan Africa and support the UN 2030 Agenda.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.wmb.2026.100366
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