Mozambique to invest €20M in sanitary landfills for Nampula and Nacala

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Mozambique to invest €20M in sanitary landfills for Nampula and Nacala

9:39 CAT | 22 Sep 2025

Photo: Direcção Provincial de Desenvolvimento Territorial e Ambiente de Nampula

Mozambique plans to invest around €20 million in the construction of two sanitary landfills to improve waste management in the northern cities of Nampula and Nacala, located in the country’s most populous province.

Construction is expected to begin in 2026, pending final approvals, according to Delfina Falume, Provincial Director of Territorial Development and Environment in Nampula.

“There will be two landfills, one in Nampula and another in Nacala. The sites have already been identified, and technical studies for implementation are complete,” Falume said on Sunday.

The initiative, supported by international partners, aims to replace the current unsustainable waste disposal practices. At present, organic and inorganic waste are dumped together without separation or treatment.

“We will create a central site for organized disposal, including a temporary storage area where waste will be sorted,” Falume explained.

The investment is part of broader efforts by Mozambique to address its growing waste and environmental challenges. The government estimates that at least 17,000 tons of plastic are dumped into the sea annually, while 116,000 tons are deposited in landfills each year—largely untreated.

Speaking on World Environment Day (June 5), Secretary of State for Land and Environment Gustavo Dgedge warned of the health and environmental risks associated with poor waste management, noting that only 1% of plastic waste is currently recycled in Mozambique.

Earlier, on March 28, Dgedge also revealed that Mozambique produces approximately 4.2 million tons of waste annually, yet just 1% is recycled, mostly through informal networks. The government hopes to reverse this trend through a €24 million waste management initiative that includes the construction of three recycling facilities nationwide.

Source: Lusa