The link between urbanisation, population growth and waste management is undeniable. Rapid urbanisation in Africa — expected to reach 1.4 billion by 2050 — underpins the dire need for the development of smart cities as the continent continues to modernise.
The projected revenue for the African smart cities market is expected to reach $1.50bn in 2025, with an anticipated annual growth rate of 11.50% through to 2030.
Advancing tech and infrastructure
This growth underscores the importance of advancing technology and infrastructure to enhance service delivery and meet the evolving needs of urban populations.
“Currently, South Africa has several Smart Cities projects underway, including Cape Town, Lanseria and Tshwane, and within these developments, the need to modernise waste management systems is non-negotiable.
“As infrastructure shoulders increase in pressure, we must prepare to manage growing volumes of domestic and industrial liquid, gaseous and solid waste,” says Justin Bott, CEO at Interwaste.
With a population exceeding 60 million citizens, South Africa generates around 122 million tonnes of waste per year, equating to roughly two tonnes per person.
These numbers are set to rise, and without reimagining our waste management strategies, existing infrastructure will struggle to manage the diverse waste streams generated by households and industries.
The key question is this: how do we reimagine waste management while leveraging data, technology to have people at the centre of smart cities' strategies that improve urban life and recover from crises?
“The preservation of our planet depends not only on how we protect what is natural, but also on how we manage what we waste.
“And as we advocate for smart solutions to address these challenges, urban sustainability must remain central to achieving global environmental commitments,” adds Bott.
AI and digitisation
Artificial intelligence (AI) is leading the way when it comes to shining the light on inefficiencies that exist across the value chain.
As an example, AI applications can identify various waste types that are presented and structure the information, through analytics, to increase transparency and automation in recycling and or other alternative processing solutions, in real-time.
Digitisation, too, offers a powerful opportunity to reshape how waste is managed in South Africa.
Organisations that are yet to drive their own fully digital business transformation due to the fear of leaving legacy systems will end up being left behind as industries progress.
In the waste sector, smart digital tools can optimise collection routes, improve fuel efficiency, and reduce energy consumption, helping drive a more circular, low-carbon economy.
As industrial processes become increasingly automated, embracing digitisation is essential to future-proof the sector.
“As we celebrate World Cities Day on 31 October 2025 and continue working towards building more sustainable smart cities to future-proof urban areas, we put people at the centre of our strategies.
“By leveraging technology, we can ease the pressure on infrastructure, from water to energy, but it will take collaboration between the public and private sectors to accelerate meaningful change and strengthen waste management systems for a smarter, cleaner future,” concludes Bott.
