Just beyond the city limits of Lusaka, the Chunga landfill sprawls across 24 hectares. It’s more than a final resting place for the city’s trash, it’s an active source of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas seeping into the atmosphere. Most people look away. But Barbara Nöst, co-founder of Zamkanda, looked closer and wondered: what if the very waste creating this problem held the key to solving it?
That question sparked a journey that began not in a boardroom, but with a group of volunteers and a challenge. Rolling up their sleeves, Barbara and her volunteers chose to tackle Lusaka’s food waste head-on. Their tools were humble, repurposed plastic drums turned into compost tumblers and their mission has been incredibly impactful, with tonnes of CO2 abated.
However, the real story isn’t just about the carbon. It’s about a woman-led enterprise confronting two related crises: environmental decay and social inequality. The Zambian Alliance for Agroecology and Biodiversity (ZAAB) spoke to Barbara about the journey from that initial spark to building a movement.
ZAAB: The leap from identifying a problem to starting a business is a massive one. What was the final push that made you decide to leave a more traditional path and bet everything on Zamkanda?
Barbara: To answer this question, I need to explain how Zamkanda started. We started as a group of volunteers interested in addressing Lusaka’s waste problem. Our involvement was triggered by the Gigatonne Challenge – an initiative that provided training, coaching and financing to local teams wanting to take effective climate action across different countries. We heard about the Gigatonne Challenge and registered our interest. Initially, we were a group of ZGF staff and students from Evelyne Hone College, and were later joined by two solar industry experts. Team Zambia decided to get involved in tackling food waste by collecting it and converting it into organic compost using low-tech equipment and zero-emission transport.
We were, for instance, met with scepticism by managers of small restaurants and food stalls, who wanted to charge us for handling their food waste. Imagine, instead of us charging them, they tried to charge us!
The Challenge was organised through sprints, during which local teams had to achieve agreed targets. During the first sprint, we collected and composted 1,000 kg of food waste, equaling the abatement of 1 tonne of CO2e. We designed a low-cost DIY prototype using second-hand plastic drums, which we turned into tumblers. Then we proceeded to Level 2 sprint and collected 14,5000 kg of food waste, equaling the abatement of 14.5 tonnes of CO2e. During the 3rd sprint, we collected and composted food waste, which equalled the abatement of 137.5 tonnes CO2e.
As our ambitions grew and we saw new opportunities in sustainable waste management, we found it necessary to register Zamkanda as an entity. The name Zamkanda derives from the African superhero movie Wakanda, which I believe many Zambians have watched.
ZAAB: What was the specific moment or experience that made you see Lusaka’s food waste not as a problem, but as a solution?
Barbara: Because of our interaction with the Gigatonne Challenge, we learned about the adverse effects of landfills, which release large amounts of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide as waste decomposes. Look at the massive landfill on the outskirts of Lusaka, covering 24 hectares. Imagine the amount of methane this massive landfill produces every single day. We saw children playing at the edges of the landfill and experienced the distinct stench there. It was a crucial moment for me to see where all our waste ends up, harming the communities around us. We also learned about soil depletion caused by the extensive use of chemical fertilisers. Food waste, therefore, is a valuable resource, and it should be treated as such.
ZAAB: Zamkanda operates in a challenging environment for waste management. What has been your most effective strategy for convincing hotels, schools, and households to separate their food waste?
Barbara: Waste separation is mostly nonexistent in Lusaka. There are a few exceptions, though, that offer facilities for separating waste for a limited number of people. We should not forget all the individuals from underserved communities who relentlessly collect plastic and plastic bottles for onward sales to recycling companies for pitifully little money. In our case, only one hotel agreed to collaborate, but only on the condition that we provide the necessary food waste containers. One would think that local markets would be happy to have food waste taken away daily. We were mistaken. Working with markets is highly complex and political. We were, for instance, met with scepticism by managers of small restaurants and food stalls, who wanted to charge us for handling their food waste. Imagine, instead of us charging them, they tried to charge us!
The garbage collectors who cleaned up the market in the evenings started messing up our food waste containers. We found the food waste mixed up with all the other waste. Other hotels or restaurants did not see the need or did not want to invest their energy in instructing staff and setting up a system to allow internal waste separation. In fact, some said they would rather pay for the waste collection that would pick up all their waste. These were our experiences, and this explains why the most effective strategy is yet to be found. We received positive responses from schools, but we lacked the resources to expand our activities. Some individuals and organisations would be interested in separating their waste, but the logistics need to be provided on a large scale. The bottom line is that sustainable waste management stands and falls with the public’s appreciation for waste separation and an effective municipal waste management system.
ZAAB: With over 265 tonnes of CO₂ abated, the environmental impact is clear. What is a less tangible, “human impact” story of a specific person or family that you feel truly captures the essence of Zamkanda’s impact?
Barbara: I can talk about the initiative’s positive impact on households. We distributed locally-made, low-tech food waste tumblers to families in one of the communities in George compound. It is important to note that we work primarily with women, as men, after the initial enthusiasm, often withdraw or leave the work to women. A year after installing food waste tumblers, we revisited the women and found them using their own compost and tending to their vegetable gardens in their backyards. This helped them save money by spending less on waste collection and on buying vegetables at the local market. If the monthly income of households in underserved, peri-urban Lusaka is approximately between ZMW500 and ZMW4,000, then every saving made is good news. We saw a lot of enthusiasm for this initiative, and we are seeking financing to extend this offer to many more households in underserved communities in Lusaka.
Sustainable waste management stands and falls with the public’s appreciation for waste separation and an effective municipal waste management system.
ZAAB: Beyond the environmental benefits, how does Zamkanda’s model empower and create economic opportunities for women and youth who are often disproportionately affected by climate change and unemployment?
Barbara: We saw a few women building businesses around waste separation and reselling waste to recycling companies. In essence, the food waste tumblers, which are singlehandedly managed by the women themselves, gave them a sense of empowerment. The current waste management practice in high-density peri-urban areas offers ample opportunities for women and youth to get involved. But some minimum investment would be required to support these initiatives. There are youth-led initiatives already in place, but they need to be nurtured, and waste management as a field of work needs an ‘upgrade’ in how the public views it. Its image needs to be polished.
ZAAB: Do you see synergies between your work and other women-led climate initiatives, and how can these connections be strengthened to build a broader movement?
Barbara: Connections between women-led initiatives can only be strengthened if they do not see each other as competitors but rather as entities that complement one another. We see women as more reliable partners, and we would love our approach to be adopted by other women-led organisations and initiatives.
ZAAB: As you pursue partnerships with entities like the Lusaka City Council, what is the one policy change or form of support that would most effectively enable women-led environmental enterprises to succeed?
Barbara: I don’t know about policy changes, but I want to see more women involved in local decision-making, whether in waste management or public health. We see women as the more reliable partners. It is them who take care of children and the elderly, the house, and the surroundings. Those who care most and know best what is essential to their families should have a say in local decision-making. Being organised in women’s savings groups or small associations is not enough; they need a seat at the decision-making table. I argue for a minimum quota of women in these spaces. I would also argue for the appointment of gender-sensitive moderators who ensure that women are equally heard and that their concerns are taken seriously.
ZAAB: Looking at the future, what is your audacious goal for Zamkanda?
Barbara: During recent meetings with communities, community members bitterly complained about the recurring disease outbreaks due to a lack of water, poor waste management and contamination of the water system. They talked about cases of diarrhoea caused by cross-contamination from leaking water pipes located near areas where waste accumulates. Communities in peri-urban Lusaka living under tin roofs also have to endure the ever-increasing heat. We would love to expand our activities to other Lusaka-based communities and co-create initiatives with them that help them better adapt to climate change and fight environmental pollution, be it through providing cool roofs, developing sustainable waste management systems, setting up community self-help groups, or helping them organise to lobby their area councillors for better services. Urban communities are largely ignored, as the limited climate finance money available is mainly spent on conservation or climate adaptation activities in rural areas.
We have also purchased land in Mumbwa and are currently seeking funding to establish a centre of excellence for organic farming and biochar production. We want to work with unemployed youth and women. We would like to encourage them to adopt sustainable farming practices and make use of the abundant agricultural residues right in front of them. Biochar production is considered a powerful, emerging practice of carbon capture, and can be used as a fertiliser and for the production of briquettes.
ZAAB: Based on your journey, what is the single most important piece of advice you would give to a young girl in Zambia who wants to become a leader in climate action and environmental justice?
Barbara: Don’t be deceived by those who constantly appear on social media. I call them Facebook warriors. Facebook warriors have little time to do real work. They are more worried about the number of likes, reposts and comments. You will only impress people if you actually walk the talk. Do the dirty work and experience the work yourself. Authenticity and experience are key to convince others to join and support your efforts.
A version of this interview was previously published by the Zambian Alliance for Agroecology and Biodiversity (ZAAB).