Key information
Main city: Lilongwe, Malawi.
Scope: Sub-city level
Lead organisations: Lilongwe City Council
Timeframe: 2008 – 2014
Themes: Informal settlements; Circular economy; Climate change; Gender; Waste management; Water and sanitation
Budget: USD 430,000. Funding sources and major non-financial contributions: UNDP (USD 230,000, main initial project funding); Irish Aid (USD 200,000); Slum Dwellers International (financed community engagements and land acquisition through urban poor fund); Mtandire and Area 25 communities (in kind; space/land); SWAM and CCODE (in kind).
Approaches used in initiative design and implementation:
- Community participation in solid waste management.
- Context specific adoption of Public Private Partnership project implementation models.
- Emphasis on stakeholders’ capacity development.
- Integration of existing small-scale local informal actors.
- Promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Initiative description
Background and context
Around 16% of Malawians live in urban areas, making it one of Africa’s least urbanised countries. The capital, Lilongwe, is Malawi’s largest city, with a population over 1 million that is growing rapidly at 4% per year (NSO, 2019). Many local government structures in Lilongwe have become highly politicised since the introduction of multiparty democracy in 1994, with local political spaces characterised by clientelism and very limited resources. This is set in a wider national context of a small economy, widespread poverty and low public finances (Brown et al., 2024).
Most of the city’s physical growth is informal and these neighbourhoods are characterised by inadequate housing and little or no access to formal infrastructure and basic services. Lilongwe’s informal settlements are also facing a convergence of crises linked to rapid urban growth in the absence of effective urban planning and management: growing poverty and inequality, environmental problems and climate change-induced disasters, which leave communities vulnerable to disease outbreaks, drought, food insecurity, floods, cyclones and tropical storms (Brown et al., 2024).
Lilongwe generates an estimated 500 metric tons of solid waste per day, but less than one third is collected (GoM, 2019). A lack of adequate resources, among other constraints, makes it difficult for Lilongwe City Council (LCC) to collect all of the city’s waste. As a result, LCC only provides waste collection in a few formal settlements and industrial areas, leaving out the informal, unplanned and peri-urban areas that are home to 75% of the city's population. Here, solid waste management is the responsibility of individual households, who dispose of their waste irregularly. Much is dumped along roadsides or in open spaces, riverbanks or drains around where people live, exposing residents to an unhealthy environment of polluted air and water sources (Omang et al., 2021).
Uncollected waste significantly increases the risk of cholera outbreaks and serves as a breeding ground for disease-carrying vectors, such as mosquitoes, which are responsible for malaria – a leading cause of death among children under five. In addition, uncontrolled waste burning creates damaging, persistent particulate emissions.
Improperly managed waste also clogs drains, exacerbating the occurrence of floods and flash floods in settlements. As drainage systems on riverbanks have become dumping sites, this has had a narrowing effect on the channels through which storm and flood water can flow. These problems are worsened by the climate change emergency, as Lilongwe receives more intense rainfall events and longer dry seasons. Now, heavy rainfall can cause solid waste and water to back up and spill over drainage channels, leading to extensive flooding and exposing residents to dirty water and further hazards.
Many of the city’s informal settlements were established on flood plains and are already disaster prone. One such settlement is Mtandire, which is situated along the Lingadzi river. First occupied in the 1970s by communities evicted from other areas of Lilongwe, Mtandire more recently expanded into protected wetland areas, increasing its vulnerability to flooding.
Summary of initiative
This case study documents an urban reform initiative entitled ‘Waste for Wealth: Promoting a zero-waste environment’ (‘Waste for Wealth’ or W4W). The project took place from 2008–2014 in Mtandire and Area 25, two of Lilongwe’s most populous peri-urban informal settlements, situated in the north of the city. Waste for Wealth introduced sustainable methods of managing solid waste, aiming to foster an appreciation among stakeholders that waste can be a commercial resource, in particular through composting into organic fertiliser. The project adopted key approaches of community participation and private sector partnership. Through this, mainly female entrepreneurs were identified in the two settlements, and mobilised, trained and authorised to carry out waste management. Since 2014, it has evolved into a wider programme, extended within Lilongwe and to other Malawian cities such as Blantyre and Mzuzu.
The driving challenge taken on by the Waste for Wealth project was to find innovative solutions for collecting and safely disposing of solid waste. In 2008, this led to the establishment of a public-private partnership (PPP) composed of five partners: LCC as state actor; the Centre for Community Organization and Development (CCODE) and Sustainable Waste Management (SWAM), two local NGOs; the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR); and Four Seasons Nurseries Limited, a private sector agency. The PPP arrangements had defined roles for each partner and a division of labour based on capability, resources, expertise, mandate and locality. LCC was lead implementation partner; LUANAR was responsible for capacity building and research; and Four Seasons provided an initial market for the waste entrepreneurs’ products. SWAM and CCODE managed project activities, community awareness and mobilisation in Area 25 and Mtandire respectively.
The demand for organic fertiliser at Four Seasons, a florist company which relied on compost for their own nurseries, was primarily for commercial flower growing. Once the project was underway, the Mtandire groups were able to supply around 4 metric tons of compost per month, with each individual contributing an average of 130kg and earning an average of MWK 50,000 monthly (equating to about USD 119 in 2014). The group was able to meet this demand consistently on a monthly basis, ensuring a steady supply for Four Seasons.
Land was identified in each settlement to construct waste composting, sorting and transfer facilities for the entrepreneur groups to use, including offices and a large space for sorting and composting. The Mchenga Urban Poor Fund[1] provided resources to procure land, making the waste management centres community-owned federation property.
Waste for Wealth was initially implemented with financial support from the United Nations Development Programme through UN-Habitat, with other later funding partners, notably Irish Aid through its Enterprise Fund for International Climate Action[2]. Slum Dwellers International (SDI) provided financial support around community engagements and for the acquisition of land as above. Mtandire and Area 25 communities contributed to the project by negotiating and granting land for the waste centres and by engaging with the new waste management systems. As the project was scaling up, the European Union and Deswos also provided technical support in the construction of the waste centres.
The waste entrepreneur groups also made key investments, including significant time and labour in forming a foundation for their operations. Especially in the early stages, entrepreneurs contributed their own money for transporting waste from distant areas and purchasing raw materials from community members who, after noticing the income potential, were unwilling to give it away for free.
Following implementation, recommendations from the project influenced municipal policy reform and contributed to enabling a more conducive regulatory environment in Lilongwe for both community-based PPPs and women’s empowerment initiatives to be involved in local service delivery (see learning section below).
[1] The Mchenga Fund is a housing finance arrangement for the Malawi Homeless People’s Federation, supported by CCODE. Since 2003 it has been used to provide group loans to finance housing construction for federation members. “Mchenga” means sand in local languages: small individual savings are like sand grains which, when put together, are difficult to count but can achieve great impact (Zeleza Manda, 2007).
[2] Irish Aid funding was provided through Concern Worldwide’s Renewable Energy and Sustainable Ecosystems Transformation project.
Target population, communities, constituents or "beneficiaries"
When the project concluded in 2014, it had successfully mobilised 217 residents (89% women and 11% men) from Mtandire and Area 25. These residents became community entrepreneurs, participating in waste collection and solid waste processing to help address challenges in their communities. Employment in recycling and composting businesses led to transformative changes in their lives. Many acquired valuable assets such as land and houses; others invested in other businesses such as transport services like kabaza (bicycle taxis), or in extending essential services such as water and electricity into their homes. For many women entrepreneurs, the income they generated did not only improve their economic standing, but also empowered them socially by amplifying their voices and profoundly reshaping roles within their homes and communities – reflecting the project's broader impact (UNDP, 2012).
As well as business management training, the entrepreneurs also received education on gender roles, HIV/AIDS awareness and advocacy, which has enabled them to engage with local authorities on issues beyond waste management in their settlements.
The wider communities in Mtandire and Area 25 also experienced significant benefits from an improved environment, and from project activities promoting waste management awareness and hygiene among residents. Project activities created cleaner surroundings, addressed accumulated solid waste and clogged drains, and removed unauthorised waste dumps in the settlements. This improved public health in the areas by reducing flood risks and groundwater pollution, eliminating many breeding grounds for disease-carrying vectors and reducing risk from waterborne diseases.
ACRC themes
The following ACRC domains are relevant (links to ACRC domain pages):
- Informal settlements (primary domain)
- Health, wellbeing and nutrition
- Neighbourhood and district economic development
The initiative is relevant to the ACRC’s informal settlements domain because it helps to address limited government service provision to informal settlements, which is a common and major problem.
The Waste for Wealth project connects with the neighbourhood and district economic development domain because informal waste pickers and entrepreneurs are mainly small-scale household microenterprises, oftentimes ignored by government authorities in city service provision, despite the vital services they provide – especially in informal settlements and low-income neighbourhoods. Generally, authorities tend to focus on government-led or central service provision, despite their limited capacities. The innovative engagement of informal entrepreneurs in the Waste for Wealth project therefore facilitates better recognition and scaling up of their services, while also improving livelihoods and ensuring the availability of waste management services in previously underserved neighbourhoods.
The health, wellbeing and nutrition domain is also connected, because enhanced waste management practices in low-income neighbourhoods have significant health and wellbeing impacts, creating cleaner and more sanitary environments for residents.
What has been learnt?
Effectiveness/success
The Waste for Wealth initiative understood success in three main ways.
First, the project aimed to empower communities to manage the waste in their area. In implementing an innovative waste management approach, community members were expected to be at the forefront of all planned activities.
Second, gender and women’s empowerment was a central project strategy. This was aimed at ensuring women’s voices were amplified and their concerns addressed through effective implementation of legislation and proper financing of women-focused projects, among other things.
A third and critical understanding of success relates to effective exit strategy – in other words, how well the waste management systems sustained and grew beyond the project’s lifespan of 2008–2014. This was addressed through four main areas of focus:
- Training entrepreneurs in compost making, which has been sustained, with knowledge still being passed on by the entrepreneurs to other community groups at the time of writing.
- Community members forming group governance structures to monitor and oversee the smooth running of waste management activities in both informal settlements.
- Supporting waste entrepreneurs to develop other skills and diversify their business portfolio and income streams beyond selling compost.
- Extending community knowledge about sanitation by providing hygiene information and training.
Overlap with ACRC’s theory of change
The initiative and the above understanding of success connect significantly with the four preconditions which ACRC has identified as catalysts for urban reform. These are: mobilised citizens; formal and informal reform coalitions; agencies able to build short- and long-term state capacity; and political commitment from elites.
The successful organisation and empowerment of community entrepreneurs into waste management groups represents mobilised citizens.
The formation of an innovative, context-specific, community-centred waste management PPP model – comprising government, private sector, civil society and community stakeholders, supported by development aid – is reflective of an inclusive reform coalition. The establishment of a PPP in local service delivery allowed for the formation of a reform coalition – which acted as a watchdog to enforce the delivery of agreed outcomes – and is one of the key reasons the project has been replicated in other settlements and cities in Malawi. In most cases, the consortium arrangement has been replicated.
LCC project leadership signifies elite commitment, while its commitment to working alongside the PPP partner agencies, among other stakeholders, is indicative of enhanced state capacity.
How successful has the initiative been?
Improved waste management and reduced climate vulnerability
Through the efforts of the (mainly) women waste entrepreneurs, the Waste for Wealth project managed to significantly reduce solid waste accumulation and achieve a cleaner urban environment in the two informal settlements of Mtandire and Area 25. This has helped preserve the quality of groundwater, a particularly crucial resource in informal areas, and mitigate the impact of flash floods, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Improved waste management service provision leads to better health and wellbeing outcomes for residents, who faced challenges due to the inability of state service providers to meet their needs. Additionally, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions like methane, while the use of organic compost in landscaping improves soil quality.
Stakeholder engagement and capacity building
A project evaluation study (UNDP, 2012) found that all stakeholders involved in implementing the project considered it to have been a success. Achievements in stakeholder engagement and capacity building at different levels were particularly praised. From the planning stages and throughout implementation and evaluation, the project succeeded in engaging a wide range of stakeholders, thus promoting broad buy-in. Community mobilisation was a key approach and campaigns were conducted throughout the project lifespan to bring together community stakeholders, while awareness raising strengthened wider community participation in decisionmaking along the waste management value chain. Officers managing the project also received training.
The participating entrepreneurs reported that they had transferred the knowledge they gained from the project to others both within and outside their settlements. At the time of writing, groups continue to join the process, many other informal settlement communities in Lilongwe and elsewhere are becoming cleaner, and further innovations are being introduced to make use of waste that cannot be composted (see scaling up section below).
Inclusivity
The project approach has been to advocate an understanding of gender equality among the communities involved in the project, as a means of promoting fairness in whatever activity both sexes may be involved in. This has resulted in women and men working in the same job of compost making, with women empowered socioeconomically and in an improved position to provide for their families. A focus on the inclusion of women and youth enhanced opportunities for vulnerable community members to grow assets, creating job opportunities that promoted gender equality and self-reliance. A 2010 gender analysis in in Mtandire and Area 25 found that women residents had limited control over resources and of the 217 entrepreneurs trained by the initiative, 89% were women who mostly had no prior income. By the project’s end, most reported levels of financial independence that enhanced their influence within their families and secured them a role in community decisionmaking (see target population section, above).
Workable, replicable models for effective service delivery
Effective implementation of a community-centred PPP approach to addressing needs in an inadequately serviced low-income settlement has generated valuable lessons for the application of similar models in other settlements, cities and service sectors (see reform coalitions, above, and scaling and replicating section, below).
Infrastructure financing is key to local economic development, but informal settlements in Lilongwe lack sufficient investment. To address this, the project piloted the construction of waste management transfer sheds, sparking further investment and leading to the development of ten more across the city. These facilities have boosted the incomes of vulnerable waste workers and lowered waste disposal costs, contributing to environmental protection in the community.
Another notable achievement is the successful inclusion of small-scale microenterprises – often ignored by government authorities – in the solid waste management value chain, alongside larger private sector operators. Following its implementation, the project has also influenced wider municipal policy reform. Recommendations from Waste for Wealth contributed to a policy review by the LCC of the municipality’s waste management legal framework, with the aim of promoting the involvement of communities and the private sector in the waste management value chain. In this way, the project has contributed to enabling a regulatory environment in local service delivery that is more conducive to both PPPs and gender equality.
Understanding limitations
Some challenges were reported by the project partners, including the waste entrepreneurs.
Early in implementation, the waste groups relied on only one commercial partner (Four Seasons) to purchase their compost and experienced little market demand, which affected scaling up opportunities and left them with few options but to accept low offered prices. This was compounded by many potential customers’ heavy reliance on chemical fertilisers (such as urban or peri-urban farmers). That situation improved over the years, as other markets were identified and chemical fertiliser prices rose, accelerating adoption of organic fertiliser. Later programme design also focused on further improving participants’ incomes by expanding income generation streams beyond only compost, for example through producing biogas and bio-fertiliser or selling metal scraps and plastics.
Land disputes in the settlements relating to the need for space for the transfer/sorting/composting centres arose at times between waste entrepreneurs and community members. This demotivated some participants, who abandoned the project. Construction of two of the centres was also delayed, for reasons relating to the often complex politics of informal land (one site was subject to a land grab), as a result of which the project’s original end point had to be extended from 2012 to 2014. This extension allowed time for the Malawi Homeless People’s Federation and CCODE to secure land through market purchase, using resources provided through the Mchenga Fund (as above). At the same time, these delays in land access during the project led the federation to decide to invest in land banking in informal settlements, ensuring land availability for future community projects and offering valuable lessons.
Waste segregation at source, which helps improve compost quality, remains a challenge. Groups use pushcarts to collect waste from households and marketplaces, and it is often unsorted. Although Waste for Wealth groups received training and personal protective equipment to help with sorting, segregation remained a challenge. Early compost batches were not tested for nutrient value, at times leading to scepticism from users; later efforts have focused on standardising the product to enhance competitiveness.
CCODE have learnt that for a project like this, it is important for community sensitisation activities to span the entire implementation period. Inadequate attention to this meant that in some cases during the project, residents in the affected communities did not appreciate the initiative’s importance, continuing with irregular waste disposal instead of using the new waste management groups and transfer centres.
Potential for scaling and replicating
At the community scale, many waste entrepreneur participants in Mtandire and Area 25 have transferred the knowledge they gained through taking part in the project more widely – for example, by teaching relatives or residents of nearby communities how to make compost. This has contributed to more people producing organic compost for urban agriculture, in a wider context of food insecurity and rising chemical fertiliser prices.
The Waste for Wealth project has evolved into an ongoing programme, currently (2024) being implemented in Malawi’s three largest cities of Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu, by various consortium partnerships. As well as empowering communities to sustainably manage their waste and creating employment for vulnerable groups, these consortia are bringing different innovations to improve solid waste management in informal settlements. In one consortium, community entrepreneurs are producing biogas and liquid fertiliser as well as compost. Another consortium is working with the Malawi Bureau of Standards to develop guidelines for compost – a standardisation process which is expected to develop confidence in the market throughout the country.
Participating agencies
Further information
References
Government of Malawi (GoM) (2019). National waste management strategy 2019–2023. Available online.
NSO (2019). 2018 Malawi Population and Housing Census: Main Report. Zomba: National Statistical Office.
Cite this case study as:
Luka, Z (2024). “Community participation and sustainable waste management in informal settlements: the waste for wealth initiative, Lilongwe”. ACRC Urban Reform Database case study. Manchester: African Cities Research Consortium, The University of Manchester.