What is waste? Is it merely something discarded, a byproduct of consumption, and does it hold untapped potential for transformation? Some people consider waste to be all that is thrown away and has no value, while others see it as material that cannot be reclaimed or transformed. In the Global South, we tend to see waste as the end of usefulness, a final destination for the things we discard without a second thought. What if we viewed it differently? What if waste wasn’t just the remnants of what we’ve used up but rather the raw material for new possibilities?

The answer to this question lies in the intersections between sectors. What one sector calls waste, another might call a raw material. It naturally follows that any approach to thinking about waste properly will need to be multisectoral. It was in this spirit of cross-collaboration that two portfolios undertaking waste-related projects in Busara sat to share learnings on uncovering the untapped potential within what we so readily throw away.

The first thing that quickly became evident was that waste is an inevitable aspect of human existence. Before industrialization the primary waste generated was organic and it was mainly decomposed and used as fertilizer. Industrialization, however, introduced a radical shift with new consumption patterns and types of waste being created. As colonization spread the industrial model around the world, an increase in wealth, population and urbanization necessitated new waste management practices.

Despite advancements, recycling remains a relatively small proportion of overall waste management approaches, accounting for less than 20%, while 80% of the remaining waste ends up in landfills Common methods such as landfilling, open dumping, and incineration have been influenced by changes in consumption patterns, industrialization, and urbanization.

Today, the statistics are staggering, annually, the world produces about 2.1 billion tons of municipal solid waste¹. The impact of waste on communities and ecosystems is profound. Environmentally, waste generation contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation and contamination of water. Economically, improper waste management results in substantial losses, affecting producers, and actors, across all sectors. Socially, food loss for example exacerbates issues like hunger, and missed income opportunities arising from inadequate repurposing. Health impacts are also evident, with improper waste management leading to various community health issues.

Across the two teams, the definition of waste varied: some saw waste as anything no longer useful, others as items that exhausted their primary use. We explored the stages waste undergoes, from initial use to disposal and potential repurposing, particularly in regions with developed recycling systems.

Still, waste remained stubbornly difficult to define clearly and simply; its definition was subjective to the context, cultural setting, and perception of the person making the judgement. What was a waste to one actor could be raw material to another.

Additional perspectives highlighted the complexity of defining waste. If food intended for human consumption is not eaten but becomes useful to another actor, like a chicken which then gives eggs to humans, is it still considered waste? This insight underscored the need to consider what behaviors lead to waste creation in different societies, identifying similarities and differences across contexts.

In many societies, waste is not simply discarded; it undergoes a journey of scavenging and repurposing. For example, in Kenya, waste is sorted for valuable items before reaching landfills, where further scavenging occurs. Despite these efforts, true waste remains, especially in ancient landfills where no value can be extracted.

Behaviors such as the consumerism culture which has been heightened by ease of access and a preference for convenience over sustainability lead to waste creation. Mixing up recyclable waste with other waste and a general lack of awareness further disincentivizes populations from recycling. Socio-economic factors, ignorance, and poor policy reinforcement also play significant roles in shaping habits around waste.

Different societies exhibited varied attitudes towards valuing or disregarding items. Culturally ingrained indifference drives varying levels of apathy within communities. The phrase, “not my problem” often comes up in the recycling context, reflecting widespread detachment from the waste we generate. This indifference overlooks the interconnectedness of our ecosystems and the shared impact of waste on our planet.

Waste disposal is not simply getting rid of garbage; it is redesigning value and usefulness. In exploring solutions, we considered the 3 R’s: repurpose, reuse, and recycle. Reuse entails the use of an object in a manner different from its original purpose while its physical form remains intact (Menu et al., 2019), for instance, using a jar as a pencil holder. In this context, Agriprotein in South Africa ideally re-uses food waste to produce fly larvae, which are in turn converted into protein, oil, and fertilizer, providing a sustainable alternative source of animal feed. Recycling, on the other hand, entails modifying items into new ones (Menu et al., 2019) – Ocean Sole in Kenya recycles discarded flip-flops into works of art, reducing plastic waste in the Indian Ocean and creating employment opportunities. Upcycling takes the process a step higher, where wasted material is given a new purpose and turned into products of higher utility, such as turning old car tyres into fashionable furniture. On the other hand, repurposing involves finding new uses for items that would otherwise be discarded, without altering their physical form (Marco Van Hees & Oskam, 2021). For instance, vendors repurpose old newspapers as wrapping material for fruits and vegetables in local markets, and similarly, after cooking with a traditional jiko, the remaining charcoal ash is often repurposed as a cleaning agent for pots and pans or as a natural fertilizer for gardens.

Efficient techniques to prevent waste creation should go beyond the 3Rs and aim to eliminate/reduce waste production at its root. This necessitates a reconsideration of manufacturing processes, the longevity and reuse potential of the products, and excessive packaging. Consumers can demand better products by refusing those that lead to the generation of more waste such as one-use products.

Looking back at this session, the focus shifted from thinking about waste as trash to being resourceful or treasure. By seeing waste as more than an inconvenience but as a raw material, we can imagine a sustainable future with less trash and more treasure.

References

1. Agri4africa. (2019, August 16). AgriProtein: Revolutionising The Food Industry With Maggots. Agri4Africa. https://agri4africa.com/agriprotein/
2. Filipenco, D. (2023). DevelopmentAid. DevelopmentAid. https://www.developmentaid.org/news-stream/post/158158/world-waste-statistics-by-country
3. Marco Van Hees, & Oskam, I. (2021). Unravelling Repurposing -A taxonomy for a promising circular business model strategy. Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS). https://doi.org/10.31880/10344/10180
4. Menu, B., Jenny, F., Valérie, L., & Jean-François, B. (2019). From Product to Dust: Looking at the Ways to Regenerate Value in Product Life Cycle. Proceedings of the Design Society: International Conference on Engineering Design, 1(1), 3321–3330. https://doi.org/10.1017/dsi.2019.339
5. Oceansole. (2024). Ocean Sole | We Turn Pollution Into Flip Flop Art. Ocean Sole. https://oceansole.com/en-ke