Turning Trash Into Cash: Uganda’s Plastic Recycling Startups Power Circular Change
Entebbe, Uganda . Every day, Uganda generates an estimated 600 tonnes of plastic waste — much of it uncollected or dumped into Lake Victoria. But in the chaos of plastic pollution, new opportunities are emerging. A growing ecosystem of tech-enabled recycling startups is transforming plastic waste into bricks, furniture, fuel, and livelihoods.
Smart Recycling with Digital Traceability
At the heart of this movement is YoWaste, a Kampala-based waste-tech company connecting households and businesses to vetted waste collectors through a mobile app. Users schedule pickups, and recyclers earn points redeemable for mobile money or rewards.
“We wanted to make waste management easy, transparent, and profitable,” said YoWaste co-founder Gloria Nakato. “Our app helps both citizens and collectors see waste not as a nuisance, but as a resource.”
The company has partnered with recyclers like Plastic Craft Uganda, which turns collected plastics into paving tiles and eco-furniture, and Takataka Plastics, a Gulu-based social enterprise converting PET bottles into construction materials.
Innovation Meets Inclusion
Plastic Craft’s co-founder Brian Tumusiime explains:
“We use simple but smart machinery that can run on solar power — meaning our model can be replicated even in off-grid areas.”
Meanwhile, Takataka Plastics employs youth and formerly unemployed waste pickers, providing training and steady income while reducing environmental waste.
These businesses are also helping local governments meet their obligations under Uganda’s ban on certain single-use plastics — a law often challenged by enforcement gaps.
The Bigger Picture: Circular Economy
Uganda’s Ministry of Water and Environment has signaled support for scaling such enterprises, framing them as part of a circular economy — where waste is reintegrated into the value chain. A national plastics action roadmap under development aims to support recyclers through tax incentives, innovation grants, and public-private partnerships.
Challenges
Sorting and collection remain inefficient; much recyclable waste is contaminated or mixed.
Lack of standardization limits exports of recycled materials.
Funding and access to industrial-grade equipment remain barriers to scale.
Yet the momentum is clear: Uganda’s waste sector is transforming from informal collection to smart, data-driven recycling. As Gloria Nakato puts it:
“Our trash tells a story — if we listen, it can become our biggest resource.”
