WasteAid
WasteAid is a UK-registered charity that runs community-based waste management training, circular economy networks and wastepreneur programmes in lower- and middle-income countries, serving informal waste collectors, municipal governments and corporate partners across Africa and Asia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What WasteAid does
WasteAid is a UK-registered charity (charity number 1160263), founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, that delivers waste management, recycling-skills training and circular economy programmes in lower- and middle-income countries. Its portfolio is anchored by three flagship offerings: the Wastepreneur Programme, which trains informal waste collectors to run viable micro-enterprises; First-Step Resource Management, which deploys low-cost, low-tech solutions such as compost production, charcoal briquettes and plastic upcycling; and the Circular Economy Network, which convenes industry, academia and practitioners to accelerate circular economy solutions through events, incubation and seed funding. Supporting initiatives include the award-winning Making Waste Work toolkit, the EU-funded S-ORGANIC organic fertiliser project in The Gambia, the Bunzl-funded HUBLINK hub in Uganda with the Halal Waste Group, and Zero Waste Cities Challenge grants to grassroots entrepreneurs in South Africa, Vietnam and India. The charity is currently active in The Gambia, India, South Africa, Uganda and South Sudan, with past projects in Cameroon, Egypt and Indonesia; cumulative 2023 outcomes cited include 1.26 million people positively impacted and 244.20 kt of CO2 emissions saved.
WasteAid operates a donation-based, non-commercial revenue model funded through six streams: individual donations (one-off and regular, with Gift Aid), corporate partnerships, trust and foundation grants, payroll giving, legacy giving, and events and challenges. Indicative giving tiers translate £5,000 into a 12-week wastepreneur cohort for 15 individuals, £10,000 into plastic waste collection supporting up to 70 kg/day and 10 collectors, and £25,000+ into community-wide infrastructure. For every £1 donated, 86p is reported as going directly to projects and 14p to governance, administration and further fundraising. Distribution is programme-led rather than product-led: services are delivered on-the-ground through field teams, local partners, and MoU-based relationships with municipal authorities, with major partners including CIWM, Huhtamaki, Bunzl, the Norwegian Retailers Environment Fund, UK Aid Match, UKRI/WRAP, and Veralto. Commercial-style GTM is limited; the customer base divides into community beneficiaries (wastepreneurs, women and youth groups, informal collectors), donor and grant providers (individuals, trusts, corporates), and government stakeholders (e.g., Kanifing Municipal Council, KCCA).
WasteAid firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WasteAid
- Legal name
- WasteAid
- Website
- https://wasteaid.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- WasteAid is a UK-registered charity that runs community-based waste management training, circular economy networks and wastepreneur programmes in lower- and middle-income countries, serving informal waste collectors, municipal governments and corporate partners across Africa and Asia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WasteAid industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Nonprofit Services
- NAICS
- Waste Collection (56211), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629), All Other Waste Management Services (56299)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953), Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Sanitary Services (4950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- E-waste & Universal Waste Collection/Transfer (Electronics, Lamps, Batteries) (EUAIABAG), Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAA)
Keywords
Where WasteAid is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
WasteAid business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: One-off and regular donations from individuals, with Gift Aid reclaimable for UK taxpayers at 25p per £1 donated.
- Corporate Partnerships: Strategic partnerships with corporations providing financial support, potentially including branded impact reports, staff engagement, and social media content in return.
- Trust and Foundation Funding: Flexible donations or project-specific support from trusts and foundations to power mentoring programmes and build circular economy networks.
- Payroll Giving: Regular donations deducted directly from salary, tax-efficient as taken before tax.
- Legacy Giving: Gifts left in wills to support future work.
- Events and Challenges: Fundraising through sponsored runs, challenges, bake sales, and community events with support from the organisation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Donation-based funding model with impact examples |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
WasteAid product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WasteAid is a UK-registered charity that designs and delivers community-based waste management and circular economy programmes in lower- and middle-income countries. Its core products are skills-training programmes (such as the Wastepreneur Programme and First-Step Resource Management), the open-source Making Waste Work toolkit, and the Circular Economy Network, which together help communities, municipalities, and waste-pickers set up low-cost recycling and resource-recovery systems.
Product overview
WasteAid is a charity organization offering a portfolio of community-focused programmes rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include the Wastepreneur Programme (waste entrepreneurship training with micro-grants), First-Step Resource Management (low-tech waste solutions), and the Circular Economy Network (industry-academia-practitioner collaboration). Supporting initiatives include the Making Waste Work toolkit, S-ORGANIC organic fertiliser project, HUBLINK Uganda hub project, Zero Waste Cities Challenge business incubator, and support for the VECA mobile app. These programmes work together to deliver waste management training, livelihood support, and circular economy innovation to communities in lower- and middle-income countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wastepreneur Programme Skills-training and micro-grant programme that converts informal waste-pickers into self-sustaining micro-entrepreneurs running neighbourhood waste-management businesses. Designed for low-income community participants in target countries.
- First-Step Resource Management Foundational community waste-management programme that supports communities to take initial steps in organising and running local waste-management activities, typically led by community action groups.
- Circular Economy Network UK-wide network connecting industry, academia and practitioners to share knowledge and accelerate circular-economy practice across lower- and middle-income countries.
- Making Waste Work (toolkit) Open-source instructional toolkit that provides step-by-step guidance on low-tech, locally-appropriate waste-management techniques, available to communities, practitioners, and partner organisations globally.
- S-ORGANIC Project Project-based delivery of source-separation, organic-waste processing, and circular-economy activities in partnership with national and international consortia across multiple countries.
- HUBLINK Project Donor-funded project in WasteAid's portfolio of waste-management and circular-economy initiatives operating alongside the core programme set.
- Zero Waste Cities Challenge Challenge initiative offering €10,000 prizes to cities that demonstrate measurable progress toward becoming zero-waste cities, including a Vietnam-linked edition co-presented by WasteAid.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,264,730 people positively impacted in 2023
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use WasteAid
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
WasteAid technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
WasteAid partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Turkish Embassy in The GambiaminorNew partnership explored on 12 May 2026 with Turkish Ambassador F. Turker Oba to collaborate on environmental sustainability and waste management. TİKA (Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency) delivers development work including tree planting and borehole construction.
- Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC)coreRenewed MoU signed on 7 May 2026 establishing framework for cooperation on sustainable waste management, recycling, environmental protection, and circular economy initiatives in The Gambia. Partnership has developed over more than a decade.
- CIWM (Chartered Institution of Wastes Management)corePartnership to support development of formalised waste management in The Gambia. Phase 1 established a Circular Economy Network in Greater Banjul with 165 active members. Phase 2 continues knowledge transfer and technical support through a Local Authorities Working Group. CIWM has supported WasteAid since 2021 with financial and advisory support.
- Halal Waste GroupcoreImplementation anchor for HUBLINK project in Uganda. Set up in 2019, now includes 33 members handling 30-35 tonnes of waste material per month. MoU signed with WasteAid for HUBLINK project.
- KCCA (Kampala Capital City Authority)minorKey stakeholder in HUBLINK project in Uganda, engaged through stakeholder meeting alongside TUNN and Reclaim.
- Local Partners in IndonesiaminorPartnership with established local organisations on Bali to improve waste management capacity, working with organisations supporting vulnerable and at-risk women.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
WasteAid competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WasteAid social profiles
Digital presenceWasteAid financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WasteAid leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
WasteAid funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WasteAid M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WasteAid
What does WasteAid do?
WasteAid is a UK-registered charity that designs and delivers community-based waste management and circular economy programmes in lower- and middle-income countries. Its core products are skills-training programmes (such as the Wastepreneur Programme and First-Step Resource Management), the open-source Making Waste Work toolkit, and the Circular Economy Network, which together help communities, municipalities, and waste-pickers set up low-cost recycling and resource-recovery systems.
Is WasteAid a public or private company?
WasteAid is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was WasteAid founded?
WasteAid was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is WasteAid based?
WasteAid is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does WasteAid make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships, trust and Foundation Funding, payroll Giving, legacy Giving and events and Challenges.
Does WasteAid have an API?
No public API is recorded for WasteAid.
What industry is WasteAid in?
WasteAid's product category is Environmental Nonprofit Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAH, Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration, with a secondary code of EUAIABAG, E-waste & Universal Waste Collection/Transfer (Electronics, Lamps, Batteries). Its NAICS code is 56211 and its SIC code is 4953.