Waste Management
Formalizing informal workforces
Creating training opportunities for sanitation workers to improving waste management systems
This intervention leverages policy, executive action, and legislation to bring informal sanitation workers—and their contributions—into the formal economy. In Accra, Ghana, this work boosted waste collection from 75% to 90%, increased waste capture from 53% to 90%, and more than tripled recycling rates. Its success is now being replicated in more than 20 cities, including Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, and Bengaluru, India.
The Impact:
- In Accra, waste-collection coverage increased from 75% to 90%, waste capture rose from 53% to 90%, and recycling rates improved from 5% to 18%.
- The project’s success in Accra inspired replication efforts in +20 developing cities like Addis Ababa, Bengaluru, Dar Es Salaam, and others, focusing on similar improvements in waste management and worker inclusion.
What you can do with this idea:
- Recognize informal workers and their contributions to waste collection through local policies, executive action, and legislation.
- Offer training opportunities for informal workers, helping them create businesses and cooperatives to better organize waste collection and interact with city hall.
- Improve working conditions for informal collectors, establishing sorting and storage centers.
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