Waste Management Plans in Zambia: Why Your Business Needs One

Every business produces waste - packaging, offcuts, food waste, used oil, broken equipment, construction rubble. How you handle it affects your costs, your relationship with your neighbours and local council, and whether your environmental approvals stay in good standing. A waste management plan puts all of that on paper so it is managed deliberately rather than by habit.

The law behind waste in Zambia

Solid waste is governed mainly by the Solid Waste Regulation and Management Act No. 20 of 2018. A few of its principles shape how businesses should think about waste:

• Waste is treated as a resource. The Act sets a waste hierarchy: prevention, reduction, re-use, recycling and composting come first, then energy recovery, with disposal as the last resort.
• Local authorities are responsible for solid waste services in their areas, including collection, transport, disposal sites and public awareness. They may deliver these themselves, through a solid waste management company, or through licensed private providers.
• Waste service providers need a licence or permit - the Act prohibits providing solid waste services without one.
• Waste generators have duties around how waste is categorised, stored in containers, sorted and collected.

The Act does not cover hazardous waste, e-waste and healthcare waste, which are regulated under the Environmental Management Act of 2011 and need specialist handling.

When a waste management plan is needed

• New projects. Environmental assessments for new developments under Zambia's 2026 EIA Regulations normally include commitments on how waste will be managed during construction and operation.
• Construction sites, which produce large volumes of rubble, packaging and hazardous materials such as paints and oils.
• Operating businesses such as factories, mines, lodges, hospitals and fuel stations, especially those with hazardous or large volumes of waste.
• When a council or ZEMA asks you to show how your waste is handled.

Even where nobody requires one, a plan is good practice and often saves money.

What a good waste management plan covers

1. Waste inventory - what waste you produce, how much, and where it comes from.
2. Reduction measures - ways to produce less, from buying in bulk to reducing offcuts.
3. Separation and storage - which streams are kept apart (recyclables, organics, general, hazardous), the containers used and where they are kept.
4. Re-use and recycling - what can be re-used on site, sold or given to recyclers.
5. Collection and disposal - which licensed provider collects each stream and where it goes.
6. Hazardous waste - how oils, chemicals, batteries or medical waste are handled under the stricter rules that apply to them.
7. Responsibilities and training - who is in charge and how staff are trained.
8. Records and monitoring - how you track quantities and prove waste went where it should.

How a plan saves money

Separating recyclables often reduces collection costs and can earn income from scrap metal, cardboard and plastics. Tracking waste also exposes losses - over-ordering, damage in storage, production offcuts - that cost more than the disposal itself.

How Rayema Enterprise helps

Our Environmental Assessments & Compliance service prepares practical waste management plans for:

• Construction sites and new developments, as part of an environmental assessment or on their own.
• Operating businesses that want to cut waste costs or need to show compliance.
• Projects with hazardous waste streams that need specialist handling.

We can also handle the wider environmental assessment your project needs.

Frequently asked questions

Is a waste management plan a legal requirement?

It is often required as part of an environmental assessment for new projects, and councils or ZEMA may ask businesses to show how waste is managed. Even when it is not mandatory, it is good practice.

Who collects business waste in Zambia?

Local authorities are responsible for solid waste services and may provide them directly, through a solid waste management company, or through licensed private providers. Make sure whoever collects your waste holds the right licence or permit.

Does the Solid Waste Act cover hazardous waste?

No. Hazardous waste, e-waste and healthcare waste are regulated under the Environmental Management Act of 2011 and need specialist handling.

Can a waste plan really save money?

Often, yes. Separating recyclables can lower collection costs and earn income, and tracking waste reveals avoidable losses.

Need a waste management plan? Request a quote or WhatsApp us on +260 770 578 280.