Across Africa, waste management systems are under increasing strain due to rapid urbanization, rising consumption, and growing plastic pollution. The informal sector—including waste pickers, aggregators, and small recyclers—remains central to material recovery, often dominating collection and recycling activities.
As countries advance Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks, a critical challenge has emerged: how to design systems that effectively integrate informal actors while addressing market distortions, particularly around pricing, access to materials, and uneven competition across the value chain. Without addressing these structural issues, EPR systems risk inefficiencies, exclusion, and limited impact.
This webinar explores practical strategies to address informal sector dominance and market pricing distortions, with the aim of developing more effective and inclusive EPR systems that reflect Africa’s socio-economic realities.