Africa’s urban waste crisis is outpacing infrastructure investment and choking neighborhoods
Two men perched atop a hill in Johannesburg's Kya Sands suburb reveal a growing waste crisis. The hill is a mountain of illegally dumped trash, now swallowing the road beyond. This is just one example of a broader issue across Africa, where cities generate waste faster than municipalities can handle it.
Johannesburg's waste problem intensified after the municipal landfill closed in 2010. Residents in Alexandra township report their garbage going uncollected for weeks. Pikitup, the city's waste company, has identified over 2,000 illegal dumping hotspots and allocated $6.4 million in 2025/26 to address the problem.
Informal waste haulers fill the gap left by unreliable municipal collection, often dumping waste illegally. This creates health hazards from toxic substances in the air, soil, and water. The city's landfill capacity is depleting unsustainably, and recycling and composting efforts are lacking.
South Africa's draft National Waste Management Strategy acknowledges the unsustainable rate of landfill space depletion. Johannesburg now relies on only two of its four municipal landfills for general waste. The crisis highlights the urgent need for improved waste management infrastructure to protect public health and the environment.
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