About This Course
Rapid urbanisation across Africa and the developing world is generating unprecedented volumes of solid waste, overwhelming municipal systems and threatening public health, environmental quality, and urban liveability. Cities and counties that lack a structured Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) face escalating costs, regulatory non-compliance, community grievances, and long-term environmental degradation. The challenge is not simply operational — it is strategic, requiring cross-departmental coordination, community engagement, financial planning, and alignment with national environmental legislation.
This course, offered by TrainingComplex, is designed to bridge the gap between policy intent and practical planning action. It provides municipal officers, environmental planners, and county government professionals with a systematic, step-by-step methodology for developing a credible and actionable SWMP. Drawing on international best practices, relevant African case studies, and established planning frameworks, participants will learn how to assess the current waste situation, set measurable targets, design service delivery models, engage communities, and build the institutional and financial architecture necessary to sustain a modern waste management system.
The programme combines structured instruction with hands-on plan-writing exercises, enabling delegates to leave not merely with theoretical knowledge but with a draft framework — or significant components of a plan — tailored to their specific city or county context. Whether participants are developing a new SWMP from scratch or revising an existing one, this course provides the analytical tools, templates, and peer learning necessary to produce a high-quality, implementable document. TrainingComplex's facilitators bring deep experience in environmental governance, urban planning, and public sector capacity building across East, West, and Southern Africa.
Who Should Attend
- Municipal and county government environment and sanitation officers
- Urban planners and physical development officers in city or county administrations
- Public health officers with solid waste oversight responsibilities
- Environmental compliance and regulatory officers at national or subnational levels
- NGO and development partner staff supporting waste management programmes
- Community development officers involved in sanitation and cleanliness campaigns
- Waste management contractors and service delivery partners seeking to engage government planning processes
- Policy advisors and consultants working on urban environment and climate resilience projects
Learning Objectives
- Explain the legal, policy, and institutional framework governing solid waste management in urban and county contexts
- Conduct a situational analysis of current waste generation, collection, treatment, and disposal in their jurisdiction
- Apply the waste management hierarchy to develop context-appropriate waste reduction and diversion strategies
- Design a solid waste collection and transportation system tailored to different urban typologies and population densities
- Develop strategies for waste segregation at source, recycling, composting, and resource recovery
- Identify and evaluate suitable treatment and final disposal options, including engineered landfills and transfer stations
- Estimate waste management costs, develop financing models, and identify revenue streams including user fees and levies
- Design a community engagement and behaviour change communication strategy for waste management
- Establish monitoring, evaluation, and reporting mechanisms to track SWMP implementation and outcomes
- Produce a structured Solid Waste Management Plan document complete with objectives, targets, action plans, and budgets
Course Modules
Module 1: Introduction to Solid Waste Management Planning: Context and Imperatives
- Global and African solid waste trends: volumes, composition, and urban growth drivers
- The consequences of poor waste management: health, environment, economy, and governance
- Overview of the waste management hierarchy: prevention, reuse, recycling, recovery, and disposal
- International frameworks: Basel Convention, SDG 11 and 12, and the Paris Agreement's waste linkages
- National legislation and county/municipal solid waste mandates in Eastern and Southern Africa
- The purpose, structure, and key components of a Solid Waste Management Plan
Module 2: Legal, Institutional, and Policy Framework Analysis
- Mapping the legislative environment: environment acts, public health laws, and local government statutes
- Roles and responsibilities of national, county, and municipal institutions in waste governance
- Private sector and informal waste picker roles: recognition, regulation, and integration
- Inter-agency coordination mechanisms and common governance failures
- Community rights and obligations in solid waste management
- Conducting a policy gap analysis to identify legal barriers to effective SWMP implementation
Module 3: Situational Analysis: Waste Characterisation and Baseline Assessment
- Designing a solid waste audit: objectives, sampling methodology, and data collection tools
- Waste generation rates: estimating quantities by sector — residential, commercial, industrial, institutional
- Waste composition analysis: organics, recyclables, hazardous fractions, and inert materials
- Mapping existing collection infrastructure, transfer stations, and disposal sites
- Assessing service coverage gaps, informal settlements, and underserved populations
- Documenting institutional capacity, equipment inventory, and human resource profiles
Module 4: Setting Goals, Targets, and Planning Boundaries
- Defining the geographic and temporal scope of the SWMP
- Setting SMART waste management goals aligned with national and county development plans
- Establishing measurable targets: diversion rates, collection coverage, landfill life extension
- Prioritisation frameworks: cost-benefit analysis and feasibility screening of interventions
- Stakeholder visioning exercises: building shared ownership of SWMP goals
- Aligning SWMP targets with climate commitments and circular economy principles
Module 5: Waste Minimisation, Segregation at Source, and the Circular Economy
- Designing source segregation programmes: bin colour coding, household sorting, and public education
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes: design, legislation, and implementation
- Waste exchange platforms and industrial symbiosis models for urban areas
- Composting programmes: household, community, and centralised approaches
- Recycling market development: material recovery facilities, buyer networks, and price stability
- Behavioural change communication strategies to increase household participation in waste reduction
Module 6: Collection System Design and Transportation Planning
- Service area zoning and population density considerations for collection planning
- Collection frequency models: daily, alternate-day, and on-call systems for different contexts
- Primary collection methods: communal points, kerbside, door-to-door, and push-cart systems
- Fleet sizing, vehicle specifications, and routing optimisation for municipal waste trucks
- Designing transfer stations: siting criteria, operational standards, and throughput capacity
- Managing collection in informal settlements and hard-to-reach peri-urban areas
Module 7: Treatment Technologies and Final Disposal Options
- Overview of waste treatment options: biological, thermal, mechanical, and chemical processes
- Engineered sanitary landfills: site selection criteria, design standards, and leachate management
- Landfill gas capture and utilisation: energy recovery and greenhouse gas mitigation potential
- Composting facilities: windrow, in-vessel, and vermicomposting design and operation
- Waste-to-energy feasibility for African urban contexts: calorific value requirements and economics
- Remediation and closure of open dumps and dumpsite upgrading pathways
Module 8: Financial Planning, Cost Recovery, and Waste Economy
- Estimating full life-cycle costs of a municipal solid waste system
- Cost recovery mechanisms: user fees, property rates levies, and service charges
- Subsidy models and targeting for low-income urban households
- Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models in waste collection, recycling, and disposal
- Donor and grant financing for waste infrastructure: climate funds, GEF, and bilateral programmes
- Developing a multi-year SWMP financial plan and budget framework
Module 9: Community Engagement, Communication, and Behaviour Change
- Stakeholder mapping for solid waste management: identifying champions, resistors, and influencers
- Designing an inclusive community consultation process for the SWMP development
- Behaviour change communication theory applied to waste segregation and illegal dumping prevention
- Engaging schools, faith institutions, and markets in waste awareness programmes
- Integrating the informal waste sector: rag-pickers, waste traders, and recycler cooperatives
- Grievance mechanisms and community feedback loops for ongoing waste service improvement
Module 10: Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, and SWMP Finalisation
- Developing a SWMP monitoring and evaluation framework: indicators, data sources, and frequency
- Designing a performance dashboard for waste management KPIs at the municipal level
- Internal audit and review cycles: annual SWMP progress reporting and adaptive management
- Communicating SWMP performance to elected officials, communities, and the public
- Structuring the SWMP document: executive summary, action plan, annexes, and approval process
- Presenting, adopting, and institutionalising the SWMP: council approval, staff orientation, and rollout planning
Requirements & Prerequisites
Participants should have at least two years of professional experience in municipal government, environmental management, urban planning, or a related public sector role. A basic familiarity with local government structures and service delivery functions is assumed. No specialist technical qualifications are required, though delegates are encouraged to bring relevant local data, maps, or existing waste management documents from their jurisdiction to enrich the practical exercises.
Training Methodology
- Structured plan-writing workshops where participants draft actual sections of a SWMP for their own city or county
- Case study analysis of solid waste management plans from comparable African and Asian cities, identifying strengths and gaps
- Waste situation assessment exercises using real data sets and field survey templates adapted to participants' contexts
- Group mapping exercises using simple GIS tools and paper-based zoning maps to design collection routes and service areas
- Financial modelling exercises to estimate waste management costs and explore fee structures and financing gaps
- Guest practitioner sessions featuring municipal waste managers and environmental regulators sharing field experience
- Stakeholder engagement simulation role-plays, including handling community opposition and negotiating with informal sector recyclers
- Peer review of draft plan sections with structured feedback using a professional SWMP quality checklist
- Policy and legal alignment reviews where delegates cross-reference their draft plans against national legislation and international frameworks
- Reflective journalling and action planning to help each participant define clear next steps for plan adoption in their jurisdiction
Organisational Benefits
- Jurisdictions gain a professionally structured SWMP that meets regulatory and donor requirements
- Improved service delivery planning leads to better use of municipal budgets and equipment
- Reduced environmental and public health risks from uncontrolled dumping and open burning
- Stronger institutional capacity to coordinate cross-departmental waste management functions
- Enhanced ability to attract financing, grants, and partnerships for waste infrastructure development
- Better community satisfaction and reduced conflict related to uncollected waste and illegal dumpsites
- Alignment with national environment and climate commitments, including NDCs and waste-related SDG targets
- Organisations build internal champions capable of training colleagues and driving sustained reform
Where Is Development of a Solid Waste Management Plan for Cities and Counties Training Offered?
This course runs in-person across: Abuja, Pretoria, Zanzibar, Nairobi, Kisumu, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Nakuru, Arusha, Kigali, Cape Town, Riyadh, Accra, Naivasha, Mombasa, Kampala, Johannesburg, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.
Upcoming Schedules
| Location | Format | Dates | Price |
|---|
| Live Virtual |
Online |
24 Oct 2026 – 15 Nov 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Abuja, Nigeria |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,800 |
| Pretoria, South Africa |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,300 |
| Zanzibar, Tanzania |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,500 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Kisumu, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 4,100 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,400 |
| Nakuru, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Arusha, Tanzania |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,100 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
2 Nov 2026 – 6 Nov 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 6 Nov 2026 |
KES 105,000 |
| Zanzibar, Tanzania |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 6 Nov 2026 |
USD 2,500 |
| Nakuru, Kenya |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 6 Nov 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
+227 more dates — view live schedule →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be a technical environmental specialist to attend this course?
No specialist technical qualification is required. The course is designed for municipal administrators, planners, public health officers, and environment officers who are responsible for or involved in waste management planning. A general familiarity with local government operations is sufficient to participate fully.
Will I produce an actual Solid Waste Management Plan during the training?
You will develop substantial components of a SWMP for your specific city or county through the hands-on workshop sessions. While a complete, approval-ready plan would require additional post-training work and stakeholder consultations, you will leave with a structured draft framework, key analytical sections, and the tools and templates needed to finalise the document with your team.
Is this course relevant to both large cities and smaller county towns?
Yes. The course explicitly addresses different urban typologies — from large metropolitan centres to smaller peri-urban county headquarters — and the planning exercises are adapted to the scale and resource constraints of each participant's context. Case studies draw from both large city and small-town solid waste management experiences.
What certification will I receive upon completing the course?
Participants who complete all five days of the programme will receive a Certificate of Completion from TrainingComplex. The certificate recognises professional development in solid waste management planning and is suitable for inclusion in professional portfolios and CPD records.
Should I bring any materials or data from my organisation?
Participants are strongly encouraged to bring relevant local data such as population figures, existing waste reports, maps of collection routes or dumpsites, and any previous or current waste-related policies. This information will be used directly in the planning exercises, making the outputs far more relevant and immediately applicable to your jurisdiction.
