The problem– Lack of solid waste management in cities can be considered a market failure since the costs of disposal of waste and the health burden of an unsanitary environmental are an externality not covered by the price of material packaging. People who live in cities that lack proper resource recovery and waste disposal often have the desire to have clean surroundings, and most are willing to pay to have this service provided, but imperfect information about the value of the materials, and the high cost of planning efficient resource recovery routes can be a significant barrier to setting up recycling businesses. Publicly-available information about the quantity and composition of waste in a city by area can help would-be service providers to plan routes more efficiently.

The way forward –  A study was funded to perform an analysis of the waste quantity and composition by households of different income strata  in five different African cities (Abidjan, Cairo, Harare, Monrovia, and Sekondi-Takoradi).  The resulting report, study methodology, and data were made publicly available.

Contribution – Development of terms of reference and budget for the project; selection of cities and study consultant; procurement of collaborators in each city; project management; report feedback; results dissemination.