Waste to Wealth

November 10th 2018

Aquatera is working in partnership with ReHUB+ in Kenya and NatureGuard in Zambia on a Waste to Wealth Project funded by the Climate Justice Innovation Fund from the Corra Foundation in conjunction with the Scottish Government. The video below is a summary of the achievements of this project in Year 1.

The primary aim of this project is to provide the people of Kabwe with a cheaper, more reliable energy supply. This will be achieved by promoting the use of smokeless fuel from waste biomass. This will reduce carbon emissions and improve lives through conservation and micro-enterprise development in Kabwe district, Central Province in Zambia.

The energy demands in developing countries continue to increase given the increased population and urbanisation. This trend is expected to continue as economic activities pick up in various sectors, and in Zambia especially due to their hope of achieving middle income status by 2030. It is with this issue in mind that this project is working on solutions to the energy crisis in the form of sustainable energy as well as the management and recycling of waste to allow for a reduction of emissions. On top of this, 80% of Zambians depend on charcoal for their energy needs, many of whom are from the Kabwe district. Due to increased electricity tariffs, this has meant that there are minimal alternative sources. These problems are being addressed by the Waste to Wealth Project through the following initiatives;

  • Regeneration of waste; The introduction and implementation of a biogas system that will be used for cooking, heating and lighting will allow the regeneration of waste. Domestic waste and perishable farm waste will be used as a sustainable source of energy that could easily replace wood fuels and cut off the dependence on electricity that has not been reliable in the past.
  • Waste recycling awareness program; Raising awareness about the importance of waste production, disposal and recycling will lead to a shift in the way households manage waste. By setting up a solid waste management system and encouraging households to take ownership of their waste the community will see much less generation of waste.
  • Waste to wealth; This will be done through recycling plastic waste material that is dumped in the city from neighbouring communities and ends up building up in particular areas because of heavy rainfall which then leads to floods.

For further updates on this project, follow Aquatera on Twitter.