Integrated Solid Waste Management and Recycling Solutions Training

About This Course

Rapid urbanisation, population growth, and expanding industrial activity across Africa and the Middle East are generating unprecedented volumes of solid waste. Municipal and industrial waste streams are overwhelming existing collection and disposal infrastructure, polluting land and water, and releasing greenhouse gases that accelerate climate change. Governments, municipalities, development agencies, and private sector operators are under mounting pressure to transition from open dumping and uncontrolled landfilling towards integrated, resource-efficient waste management systems that recover value, protect public health, and meet increasingly stringent environmental standards.

Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) is a globally recognised framework that addresses waste holistically — combining source reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, energy recovery, and engineered disposal into a coherent, context-appropriate system. Effective ISWM requires not only technical expertise but also strong institutional design, sound financial modelling, community participation, and robust monitoring. Professionals working in this space must understand the entire waste value chain and be able to translate policy commitments into operational programmes that deliver measurable results.

The TrainingComplex Integrated Solid Waste Management and Recycling Solutions Training is a five-day professional development programme designed to build exactly these competencies. Participants will examine international waste management hierarchies and how they apply in low- and middle-income country contexts, gain hands-on experience with waste characterisation and quantification methods, and develop skills in planning and operating recycling schemes, composting facilities, and transfer infrastructure. The programme also addresses financing mechanisms, public-private partnerships, regulatory compliance, and the design of monitoring systems that track both operational performance and environmental impact.

Through case studies drawn from Nairobi, Kigali, Cape Town, Lagos, and Dubai, interactive workshops, and applied planning exercises, delegates leave with a comprehensive toolkit they can immediately apply to their organisations' waste challenges. Whether working in municipal government, an environmental regulator, a waste management company, a development finance institution, or a corporate sustainability function, participants will gain the confidence and capability to lead credible, impactful solid waste programmes.

Who Should Attend

• Municipal and county government officers responsible for solid waste and sanitation services
• Environmental health officers and public health practitioners
• Waste management company managers and operations supervisors
• Corporate sustainability, HSE, and environmental compliance officers
• Engineers and urban planners involved in infrastructure and city planning
• Policy analysts and regulators in environment and natural resources ministries
• Development sector professionals managing urban environment or climate projects
• NGO and CBO programme managers working on community waste and sanitation initiatives
• Recycling enterprise owners and circular economy entrepreneurs
• Donor agency staff overseeing waste and environment portfolios

Learning Objectives

• Explain the principles of the integrated solid waste management hierarchy and apply them to real-world waste systems
• Conduct waste characterisation and quantification studies to inform system design decisions
• Design collection routing, transfer station siting, and fleet management plans for urban and peri-urban contexts
• Evaluate recycling technologies and establish viable material recovery and informal sector integration models
• Design and manage composting and organic waste treatment facilities for municipal and commercial streams
• Assess and apply regulatory and environmental compliance requirements applicable to solid waste operations
• Develop financial models and explore public-private partnership structures for sustainable waste services
• Design community engagement and behaviour change communication campaigns to support source separation and waste reduction
• Apply monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track waste diversion rates, environmental performance, and service quality
• Formulate an integrated waste management plan aligned with national policy and international best practice

Course Modules

Requirements & Prerequisites

Participants should have a basic understanding of environmental management, public health, or urban infrastructure within their professional role. Familiarity with local government operations, project implementation, or environmental compliance is helpful but not required. No advanced scientific or engineering qualification is necessary — the course is designed to be accessible to practitioners from a range of disciplinary backgrounds.

Training Methodology

• Waste composition field exercise using sample sorting and weighing to simulate real characterisation studies
• Case study analysis of ISWM systems in Kigali, Nairobi, Cape Town, and Dubai highlighting transferable lessons
• Group workshop to design a collection and routing plan for a simulated mid-sized urban municipality
• Financial modelling exercise in which teams build a basic cost-recovery model for a recycling programme
• Regulatory mapping activity where participants audit a hypothetical facility against national and international standards
• Stakeholder engagement role play simulating negotiations between a municipality, informal waste pickers, and a private operator
• Composting system design exercise using organic waste data to size and plan a windrow or in-vessel facility
• Monitoring dashboard development workshop producing key performance indicators and data collection tools
• Panel discussion and Q&A with a guest practitioner from an operating waste management or recycling enterprise
• Action planning session where each participant drafts a priority intervention roadmap for their own organisation

Organisational Benefits

• Improved operational efficiency and cost recovery in solid waste collection and disposal services
• Reduced environmental and public health liabilities through compliant, well-managed waste systems
• Increased waste diversion and recycling rates contributing to corporate and municipal sustainability targets
• Stronger capacity to access climate finance, green bonds, and development funding tied to waste sector improvements
• Better stakeholder and community relations through transparent and participatory waste management approaches
• Enhanced ability to design and enforce waste-related policies, permits, and service contracts
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions from waste sector operations supporting national climate commitments
• A workforce equipped to implement circular economy principles that generate economic value from waste streams
• Improved monitoring data enabling evidence-based management decisions and donor reporting
• Organisational credibility with environmental regulators, investors, and international development partners

Where Is Integrated Solid Waste Management and Recycling Solutions Training Offered?

This course runs in-person across: Kampala, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Kigali, Naivasha, Riyadh, Cape Town, Lagos, Accra, Abuja, Dubai, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Kisumu, Pretoria, Arusha, Nakuru, Zanzibar, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.

Upcoming Schedules

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