Dr Mansoor Ali is a solid waste management expert with more than 35 years of experience in planning projects, designing systems, assessing recycling potential, and creating livelihoods from waste-related activities, with extensive experience in Pakistan. Recycling and livelihoods from waste is a key focus area of his work. He completed his Ph.D. in income and employment from solid waste collection and recycling in 1996, from WEDC, Loughborough University UK and worked on a number of related projects in 18 developing countries. His Ph.D. was about waste systems in Karachi. He has carried out some pioneering work in waste collection, recycling, livelihoods from waste, and small-scale waste collections for DFID and was a lead author of DFID topic guide on solid waste management. His current research involve looking into livelihoods and waste systems in low developing countries and recycling of plastics.