Urban Solid Waste Recycling as a Driver of Economic Diversification in Angola: Evidence from the Mulenvos Sanitary Landfill, Luanda (2010 – 2014)

Urban solid waste management represents a major challenge for rapidly urbanizing cities in developing countries. In Angola, particularly in the Province of Luanda, waste management remains predominantly linear, relying on mixed collection and landfilling with limited material recovery. This study evaluates the economic and environmental potential of urban solid waste recycling through a case study of the Mulenvos Sanitary Landfill for the period 2010–2014. A quantitative case study approach was applied using secondary data from ELISAL combined with internationally recognised technical coefficients for estimating resource and energy savings. The results indicate that approximately 10.9 million tonnes of recyclable materials were landfilled during the study period, corresponding to direct economic losses of about 162.9 billion Angolan kwanzas. The analysis also highlights substantial potential benefits associated with recycling, including significant energy savings, reduced extraction of virgin raw materials, and lower environmental pressures. These findings suggest that recycling can function as a strategic instrument for economic diversification, fiscal efficiency, and circular economy transition in Angola. By providing empirical evidence from a Sub-Saharan African urban context where systematic data remain scarce, the study contributes to the literature on urban waste management, circular economy, and sustainable urban development, offering insights relevant to rapidly growing cities across developing regions.