Lira — Lira City continues to grapple with mounting waste management challenges, with city authorities estimating that between 40 and 50 tons of garbage are collected daily and transported to the Aler dumping site.
Despite ongoing efforts under the city's "polluter pays" policy, heaps of waste still litter streets and public spaces, raising concerns about environmental pollution, public health, and the sustainability of urban growth.
However, a new youth-focused initiative is emerging as a potential solution to the city's growing garbage burden. The Global Forum for Development (GLOFORD) Uganda a Non- Governmental Organization with funding from Welthungerhilfe (WHH) an Wodan is implementing the "Wealth from Waste" project aimed at transforming waste into economic opportunities while improving environmental management in Lira, Gulu and Soroti cities.
GLOFORD Uganda Partnership Manager Irene Achen said the project was designed to address the increasing waste problem in urban centers while creating dignified employment opportunities for young people.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
"Our city usually was very dirty and littered so for us we saw it, the project as a solution. Now we thought again creatively, which people can actually be the solution?" she said.
The two-year project, launched in June 2025, supports entrepreneurs involved in recycling and waste management ventures such as briquette production, organic fertilizer manufacturing, paper bag making, and biogas generation. Through these enterprises, waste materials that would otherwise end up in dumpsites are converted into marketable products.
According to Achen, the project targets at least 100 established waste entrepreneurs across the three cities, including 40 in Lira alone, while creating employment opportunities for at least 300 young people.
She said the project also seeks to change public perception about waste. "Waste now has reached a point when it shouldn't be treated as garbage. It should be treated as something that is valuable." She said.
Adding "Once you treat waste as a way of making money, then young people will embrace it. The community will also see value in it and stop making it, dumping it everywhere, but instead protecting the little that they have to also make sure that they earn from it."
The project aims to recycle at least four million kilograms of waste by 2027, with an annual target of two million kilograms. Achen said progress is already encouraging, with entrepreneurs currently contributing significantly towards the target through various recycling activities.
To support business growth, the project has established a revolving fund worth approximately 300 million shillings, enabling entrepreneurs to access low-interest loans and expand their operations. Exceptional performers also receive booster grants to strengthen their enterprises.
City leaders have welcomed the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention in addressing one of Lira's most persistent urban challenges. Herbert Apita, the Environment Officer for Lira City East Division, said the city adopted the polluter-pays principle in 2023, requiring waste generators to pay service providers responsible for collecting and transporting garbage to designated disposal sites.
However, he noted that one of the biggest challenges remains the failure by residents to segregate waste at source. "We need to really strongly scale up the issues of awareness creation, (3:15) so that our people at home, at household level, people segregate this waste and then keep them separately."
He added that the city is willing to work closely with recycling businesses and could even allocate space at the Aler dumping site to entrepreneurs involved in producing organic manure from biodegradable waste.
Joshua Stephen, a Health Inspector with Lira City, said the volume of garbage reaching the city's dumping site demonstrates the scale of the challenge. "Waste management is what we are seriously struggling with, if I should say. Because at the moment the waste which we are collecting from the city here and taking it to our lair is actually much, yet at the same time we still find a lot of garbage or other waste littering in our streets."
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Stephen said recycling initiatives could help reduce pressure on the dumping site, which is increasingly becoming congested.
Lira City Deputy Mayor Rebecca Alwedo Ogole described the project as a strategic approach that not only addresses environmental concerns but also contributes to economic development. "This project has come at the right time because it provides a sustainable and profitable way of managing waste," she said.
Ogole urged residents to appreciate the value of waste and support locally produced recycled products. She also noted that waste collection activities could provide livelihood opportunities for vulnerable groups, including street children, while helping the city improve environmental cleanliness.
As Lira continues to expand, city leaders and development partners believe that transforming waste into wealth could become a key pillar in building a cleaner, greener, and more economically inclusive city. If successful, the model could be replicated in other urban centers across Uganda facing similar waste management challenges.
