AFRICA: innovation to be showcased at the 1st Global Waste Forum in Algiers

After singular efforts to put an end to waste pollution around the world, without succeeding in eradicating the phenomenon once and for all, leaders, waste management companies, suppliers of recycling solutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and researchers are planning to find a common and definitive solution to the world’s waste crisis. For three days, they will be meeting in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, for the very first Global Waste Forum.

The Algerian National Waste Agency (AND) is organising this major event, which will be held at the Algiers International Conference Centre on the Mediterranean coast. Among the topics to be discussed at this first edition of the Global Forum are waste management and the circular economy, waste management and digitisation, waste management and renewable energies, waste management and sustainable development, waste management and vocational training, waste management and clean technologies, and consultancy and financing services and expertise.

Alongside the round tables, waste sector professionals will be able to take part in pitching sessions for innovative projects, workshops and networking sessions, an opportunity to discover the latest trends and technologies in waste management, including processes such as pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion that convert plastic and organic waste into energy.

Participants in the Global Waste Forum will also have the opportunity to meet potential business partners and develop professional networks for future projects. As one of the continents most polluted by waste, Africa needs this expertise and these contacts if it is to beat the odds. According to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), waste production in Africa is expected to reach 244 million tonnes per year by 2025. This should push the continent further away from the twelfth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 12), which aims to establish sustainable consumption and production patterns, particularly in the waste sector.

The World Bank warns of “a risk of tripling waste production in sub-Saharan Africa by 2050”. In 2016, Africa produced 174 million tonnes of waste, according to the international financial institution.