How reusing, repairing and recycling could lift households out of poverty
By Our Reporter
What is the circular economy, anyway?
Right now, our economy works like this: we extract materials from the earth, turn them into products, use them briefly, then throw them away. This process is linear, often called “take-make-waste”.
In a circular economy, by contrast, we stop waste being produced in the first place. Products are designed to last longer, be repaired easily, and eventually recycled or refurbished. Materials keep circulating instead of ending up in landfills.
Think of it like this: instead of buying a new phone every two years and binning the old one, imagine a system where your old phone gets refurbished and sold to someone else, or its valuable metals get extracted and used in new devices. That is circularity.
Why this matters especially for Africa
Here’s the crucial bit: currently, only 7.2 per cent of used materials are cycled back into our economies after use. Africa generates over 70 million tonnes of waste annually, yet lacks the industrial recycling infrastructure common in wealthier nations.
But that’s not necessarily bad news. Unlike Europe or North America, which must retrofit circular systems onto entrenched linear industries, Africa can embed circular principles from the start as its economy develops.
The evidence suggests this is already happening, often in unexpected ways.
What circularity looks like on the ground
The household savings are real
Take M-KOPA, a solar energy provider in East Africa. Before switching to pay-as-you-go solar systems, customers spent roughly 50 pence daily on kerosene, candles, and phone charging. Through these solar systems, customers save an additional $650 over the lifetime of their systems, generating over $400 million in increased household budgets across M-KOPA’s customer base.
That’s not just money saved. More than 1 million rural homes have avoided 5 billion cumulative hours of breathing toxin-laden air from kerosene lamps. Children study longer under safe lighting. Women run businesses after dark.
The systems are designed for reuse
What makes M-KOPA properly circular is the design: around 87 to 90 per cent of returned products are refurbished, giving over 60,000 more customers access to the same technology. In Ethiopia, Inter Ethiopia Solutions systematically refurbishes solar home systems and repurposes lithium-ion batteries, transforming what would be electronic waste into clean energy for communities.
The informal sector is leading
In South Africa, informal waste pickers collect between 80 and 90 per cent of used packaging and paper that gets recycled, achieving the country’s 57 per cent overall recycling rate. Informal waste picking provides livelihoods for almost 100,000 people, many of them migrants and refugees, whilst saving municipalities millions in landfill costs.
In Abidjan’s Adjamé district, self-taught mechanics and artisans repurpose discarded electronics, creating an informal circular economy sustaining hundreds of families. Across Ebrié Lagoon in Marcory Anoumabo, residents dismantle electronics, salvaging valuable materials.
The jobs dividend
The circular economy has potential to create an estimated 6 to 20 million jobs worldwide. According to the UN Environment Programme, it could generate up to 11 million jobs across Africa specifically.
Almost two-thirds (69 per cent) of the workforce in the waste sector are low-skilled blue-collar workers, making it an entry point for people with limited formal education. M-KOPA alone supports more than 7,000 direct sales agents.
In Nigeria, FREEE Recycle processes end-of-life tyres into rubber crumbs for sandals, paving materials, and flooring. The company has created over 400 jobs annually and achieved profitability in 2024, with sales channels in the UK and US.
The challenges are significant
The reality is messier than the promise. Currently, 95 per cent of e-waste is managed illegally by 8,000 informal workers, negatively impacting up to 5 million people through polluted water, air, and soil carrying respiratory, cardiovascular, and cancer risks.
Such work is characterized by low pay, hazardous conditions, seasonality and is disproportionately carried out by marginalised groups. Sufficient regulations and social safety nets are usually lacking.
Only 13 African countries have e-waste policies. Only one per cent of Africa’s e-waste is formally recycled due to weak regulatory frameworks, limited recycling infrastructure, and insufficient collection networks.
Where this is heading
The African Union adopted the African Union Action Plan for the Circular Economy (2024-2034), signalling continental commitment. Rwanda, Nigeria, and South Africa founded the African Circular Economy Alliance to spur transformation.
South Africa released Guidelines for Waste Picker Integration in 2020, developed through partnerships between government, academics, industry, and waste picker associations. The blueprint aims to improve livelihoods whilst building a circular recycling economy.
In Benin, the government launched an action plan to train 2,676 people in 2024 in food processing, auto mechanics, and plumbing, targeting 1.8 million informal workers. In Dakar, Soweto Village art studio transforms recycled materials into export-quality artwork.
The bottom line
For African households, the circular economy isn’t an abstract environmental concept. It’s about whether a Kenyan farmer can save $750 over four years by switching to solar, whether a Ghanaian entrepreneur can extend business hours with reliable lighting, whether an Ethiopian household gains refrigeration for the first time.
A thriving, environmentally conscious economy could boost Africa’s GDP by 2 per cent whilst strengthening job creation. The question isn’t whether Africa can afford to embrace circularity. The evidence increasingly suggests it cannot afford not to.
One circular idea: What is one circular practice you’ve seen work in your community? Share below.
