ABSTRACT
Accumulation of waste in Southern African countries has been a growing concern, particularly due to fast rates of industrialisation, threatening the integrity of the environment. Recent years saw reform policies and strategies for inclusive waste management where small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were established to contribute to waste challenges within their communities. Digital innovations and technological advancement are initiated by SMEs to provide solutions to the waste challenge. This chapter presents case studies of Namibian and Zambian waste management start-ups, and these SMEs are Epupa Cleaning Services cc, The Recycling Lab cc and Recyclebot. This chapter brings together experiences from the two countries that address different innovations promoting the circular plastic economy (CPE). To promote the CPE within the local communities, start-ups deliver inclusive waste management interventions to motivate community members to adopt meaningful environmental management and eco-friendly practices. Digital innovations also provide opportunities for sustainable use of plastic waste and new product designs such as the production of plastic products for different uses including recycling bins. The analysis of the start-ups generated six common opportunity areas/drivers for digital innovation and the use of technology for the CPE, including environmental sustainability, technological and digital innovations, economic significance, employment creation and enterprise, livelihood improvement and gender equality. Digital innovations can offer opportunities of measuring and quantifying accurate waste data to inform decision-making processes in the countries.
