Skip to main content
Articles | Emerging Perspective in Social and Politics | Volume 1 - Issue 2 - 2026 | 117−128 | https://doi.org/10.53623/epsp.v1i2.1272
© 2026 by the author(s), and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License

Public Policy Analysis of Solid Waste Management in Urban Areas: A Case Study of Tanzania

Author(s): Amani J. Mwambene , Fatuma S. Kilongo
Author(s) information:
Mzumbe University, P.O. Box 1, Mzumbe, Morogoro, Tanzania

Corresponding author

Emerging Perspective in Social and Politics

Volume 1 - Issue 2 - 2026

 About the journal
Submit your article

Rapid urbanisation in Tanzania has outpaced the institutional and financial capacity of local government authorities (LGAs) to manage solid waste, making waste governance one of the most pressing public policy concerns in the country's cities and municipalities. This study analyses the design, implementation, and performance of public policies governing urban solid waste management (SWM) in Tanzania, using a qualitative document-based policy analysis design complemented by descriptive synthesis of secondary performance indicators compiled from government reports and peer-reviewed literature published between 1994 and 2025. The analysis covers the evolution of the legal and institutional framework, waste generation and collection performance across categories of LGAs, budgetary allocation for SWM, governance and stakeholder participation challenges, and policy responses to plastic waste. Findings show that although Tanzania has progressively strengthened its legal framework for SWM since the 1980s, implementation remains constrained by chronic underfunding, weak enforcement, limited private-sector and community participation, and poor integration of the informal recycling sector. Collection coverage has improved in major cities but remains below 65%  nationally, while rural and peri-urban district councils lag considerably behind. The study concludes that a more coherent public policy framework anchored on adequate financing, decentralised accountability, and inclusive governance is required to achieve sustainable urban waste management in Tanzania. Policy and practical implications are discussed.

Read Full-Text
Previous article
Next article

Kazuva, E.; Zhang, J. (2019). Analyzing municipal solid waste treatment scenarios in rapidly urbanizing cities in developing countries: The case of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16, 2035. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16112035.

Bundhoo, Z.M.A. (2018). Solid waste management in least developed countries: Current status and challenges faced. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 20, 1867‒1877. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-018-0728-3.

Omar, H.M.; Bullu, S.L. (2022). Assessment of solid waste management practices in Tanzania’s cities. Global Journal of Engineering and Technology Advances, 13, 108‒119. https://doi.org/10.30574/gjeta.2022.13.1.0180.

Mushi, B. (2024). Willingness to pay for sustainable solid waste management in Dodoma Urban District, Tanzania. Journal of Policy and Development Studies, 17, 181‒198. https://doi.org/10.4314/jpds.v17i1.15.

Rodić, L.; Wilson, D.C. (2017). Resolving governance issues to achieve priority sustainable development goals related to solid waste management in developing countries. Sustainability, 9, 404. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9030404.

Makinde, D.O.; Njau, K.N. (2014). The potential for solid waste recycling in urban area of Tanzania: The case of Dar es Salaam. International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy, 2, 147‒152. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20140205.11.

Nyampundu, K.; Mwegoha, W.J.S.; Millanzi, W.C. (2020). Sustainable solid waste management measures in Tanzania: An exploratory descriptive case study among vendors at Majengo market in Dodoma City. BMC Public Health, 20, 1075. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08670-0.

Kamugisha, P.; Ludete, J.; Mhanga, S. (2019). Public private partnerships for successful solid waste management and prospects for reducing public health risks in Kinondoni Municipality-Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Environmental Research and Technology, 2, 141‒157. https://doi.org/10.35208/ert.601999.

Richard, E.N.; Hilonga, A.; Machunda, R.L.; Njau, K.N. (2021). Life cycle analysis of potential municipal solid wastes management scenarios in Tanzania: The case of Arusha City. Sustainable Environment Research, 31, 1‒13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42834-020-00075-3.

Makundi, H.; Simba, C.G.; Jahari, C.; Tarmo, C. (2025). Urban solid waste management and the decent work: Insights from Tanzania’s key cities. Waste Management & Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X251329016.

Omar, H.M.; Bullu, S.L. (2022). Analysis of solid waste management practices in rural settings of Tanzania. Global Journal of Engineering and Technology Advances, 13, 28‒38. https://doi.org/10.30574/gjeta.2022.13.3.0208.

Kubanza, N.S.; Simatele, M.D. (2020). Sustainable solid waste management in developing countries: A study of institutional strengthening for solid waste management in Johannesburg, South Africa. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 63, 175‒188. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2019.1576510.

Okot-Okumu, J.; Nyenje, R. (2011). Municipal solid waste management under decentralisation in Uganda. Habitat International, 35, 537‒543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2011.03.003.

Bolaane, B. (2006). Constraints to promoting people-centred approaches in recycling. Habitat International, 30, 731‒740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2005.10.002.

Ogando, A.C.; Roever, S.; Rogan, M. (2017). Gender and informal livelihoods: Coping strategies and perceptions of waste pickers in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 37, 435‒451. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-06-2016-0077.

Omondi, I.; Asari, M. (2024). Impact of policy design on plastic waste reduction in Africa. Sustainability, 16, 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010004.

Nyathi, B.; Togo, C.A. (2020). Overview of legal and policy framework approaches for plastic bag waste management in African countries. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2020, 8892773. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8892773.

Romano, G.; Masserini, L. (2023). Does a zero-waste strategy in sustainable urban waste management affect hierarchy targets and costs? Utilities Policy, 85, 101659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2023.101659.

Read Full-Text
About this article

SUBMITTED: 23 June 2026
ACCEPTED: 21 October 2026
PUBLISHED: 6 November 2026
SUBMITTED to ACCEPTED: 121 days
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53623/epsp.v1i2.1272

Cite this article
Mwambene, A. J. ., & Kilongo, F. S. . (2026). Public Policy Analysis of Solid Waste Management in Urban Areas: A Case Study of Tanzania. Emerging Perspective in Social and Politics, 1(2), 117−128. https://doi.org/10.53623/epsp.v1i2.1272
Citations
0
Share this article