Solid Waste Recycling and Job Market in Zambia

This book is about the contribution of solid waste recycling to the job market in Zambia. Solid waste recycling creates job opportunities and environmental benefits. The recycling industry is growing rapidly however, the sector has a lot of challenges e.g. the poor status of machinery. Old technologies have made the industry structure more costly to operate at full capacity. The purpose of this research was to determine the contribution of solid waste recycling companies to the job market in Zambia. A comprehensive database from the patents and company registration agency (PACRA) for thirty-four companies dealing waste recycling in Zambia was used. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. The results revealed that recycling companies create job opportunities and environmental benefits. The study has also established that recycling industry has potential to create job opportunities if it is harnessed well. However, the sector has a lot of challenges which hinder the industry to operate at its full capacity e.g. poor status of machinery and old technologies have made the industry structure more costly.