Title : From waste to climate action: An AI-enabled circular economy framework for transforming urban organic waste into climate, economic and public-health solutions
Abstract:
Rapid urbanisation, population growth and changing consumption patterns are generating unprecedented quantities of municipal organic waste, particularly in rapidly developing cities across Africa. Yet this waste stream remains largely underutilised, while uncontrolled dumping and decomposition contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions, environmental degradation, public-health risks and lost economic opportunities. This presentation proposes an AI-enabled circular economy framework for converting urban organic waste from an environmental liability into a source of climate mitigation, renewable resources, employment and community resilience.
The proposed framework integrates artificial intelligence, digital waste tracking, source segregation, anaerobic digestion, composting, biochar production and data-driven resource optimisation within a locally adaptable circular economy system. Unlike conventional waste-management approaches that focus primarily on collection and disposal, the framework treats organic waste as a recoverable resource and uses predictive analytics to improve waste-flow forecasting, collection efficiency, technology selection and resource recovery.
The study further develops a Circular Waste-to-Value Index (CWVI) incorporating greenhouse-gas reduction potential, material recovery, energy generation, economic value creation, employment potential, public-health benefits and social inclusivity. The index provides policymakers, municipalities and private-sector actors with a practical mechanism for comparing alternative waste-management pathways and prioritising interventions according to local environmental and socioeconomic conditions.
Particular attention is given to the potential application of the framework in African urban contexts, where limited infrastructure, informal waste economies, financing constraints and fragmented governance frequently undermine conventional waste-management systems. By integrating technological innovation with community participation and inclusive economic models, the framework seeks to bridge the gap between sustainability ambition and implementation.
The presentation argues that the future of waste management should not be measured by how efficiently societies dispose of waste, but by how effectively they eliminate the concept of “waste” itself. The proposed approach demonstrates how digital innovation and circular-economy principles can simultaneously address climate change, environmental pollution, resource scarcity and urban unemployment, offering a scalable pathway toward resilient, low-carbon and economically productive cities.
Keywords: Circular economy; artificial intelligence; organic waste; climate change; waste-to-value; sustainability; biochar; anaerobic digestion; African cities; resource recovery.
