Community-Driven Data: How Local Knowledge is Reshaping Urban Waste Systems

Room: Talks II

Saturday, 11:30
Duration: 20 minutes (plus Q&A)

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  • Emanuel Kombe

Effective urban solid waste management in African cities remains a critical challenge characterized by rapid urbanization, limited infrastructure, and insufficient data. Traditional top-down approaches often fail to address the unique, hyperlocal realities of waste generation, disposal behaviors, and service gaps. This presentation explores how OpenMap Development Tanzania (OMDTZ) with the funds from the World Bank, has implemented community-driven data collection approaches in Tanzania, Mozambique, and Kenya to fill this knowledge gap and build more responsive, inclusive waste management systems.

Through the integration of OpenStreetMap (OSM), mobile data tools like OpenDataKit, OsmAnd, and participatory mapping techniques, communities have been engaged in mapping informal waste collection points, illegal dumping sites, transfer stations, and service coverage areas. By centering local knowledge, these projects have produced actionable geospatial data that informs city-level planning, supports environmental health interventions, and amplifies citizen voices in waste governance. Participants will gain insights into how grassroots data collection not only improves the quality of open data but also reshapes power dynamics in urban planning, placing communities at the forefront of building cleaner, more sustainable cities.

Urban waste management systems across many African cities face severe capacity challenges. Waste collection services are often inconsistent, infrastructure is unevenly distributed, and data on where and how waste is generated and handled is largely missing or outdated. This session shares lessons from community-centered mapping initiatives implemented by OMDTZ and partners in Dar es Salaam, Nacala- Mozambique, and Mombasa -Kenya, where local residents have played a central role in generating critical waste-related datasets.

Instead of relying solely on municipal audits or high-tech surveys, the approach engages community members, youth groups, and local organizations to map and monitor solid waste dynamics in their own neighborhoods. Equipped with mobile tools, participatory maps, and training, local data collectors document:

  1. Community perception and attitudes on the solid waste management
  2. Waste handling modes, dispose ways and payment behavior
  3. Informal dumpsites and hotspots for illegal dumping
  4. Waste collection service routes and gaps
  5. Types and volumes of waste generated in residential areas
  6. Proximity of vulnerable communities to unmanaged waste zones

These datasets are then analyzed and shared with the responsible authority, allowing governments and funders to create the city-level strategic plans for solid waste management. While researchers access real-time, location-specific information for designing targeted interventions, from optimizing collection routes to deploying behavior change campaigns.

This talk will cover:

  1. The methodology for engaging communities and collecting waste-related geospatial data
  2. Case studies from Tanzania, Mozambique, and Kenya that demonstrate impact
  3. Tools and platforms used for data collection, visualization, and decision-making
  4. How local knowledge has influenced waste policies and infrastructure planning
  5. Challenges and solutions for sustaining community engagement and ensuring institutional uptake of data

By leveraging community knowledge and open technologies, these projects have helped cities move toward more resilient, inclusive, and evidence-based solid waste systems. The session will also highlight how this approach contributes to climate resilience, youth empowerment, and the democratization of urban data ecosystems.

Ideal for practitioners, urban planners, open data advocates, and local government officials, this session will offer replicable strategies for harnessing community-driven data to transform waste governance and sustainability in rapidly growing urban areas.