In 1997, Development Workshop conducted a study on scavenging, a form of recycling waste. This study illustrated that scavenging was a strong income-generating activity for many of Luanda’s residents. In a follow-up to the 1997 research, DW’s 2005 Scavenger Study found that this informal economy remains active in post-war Luanda. While scavenging for food is still done in Luanda’s urban center, most scavenging for reusable waste materials has shifted to the city’s peri-urban dumpsite, Golfe II. – Gamek. However, scavenging for glass at this site has slightly declined since 1997 because of the emergence of partnerships between multinational Coca Cola and domestic beer makers with Vidrul, Angola’s only glass manufacturer. Subsequently, scavengers in Luanda’s periphery municipal dumpsite have started to collect other re-usable waste materials, particularly the aluminum container of the soft drink BLUE. The omnipresence of waste piles in Luanda’s periphery implies that the city’s waste management, Elisal’s efforts are ineffective. It also suggests that waste related diseases continue to plague Luanda’s residents. Recycling as a sustainable urban waste management strategy would be most effective if it considered contributions from the following parties: urban residents, scavengers, local-based NGOs, private, and public sectors and local governments.
