WasteAid

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).

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

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

• Community waste management
• Circular economy programs
• Recycling skills training
• Waste entrepreneur development
• Solid waste management

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-off and regular donations from individuals, with Gift Aid reclaimable for UK taxpayers at 25p per £1 donated.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Strategic partnerships with corporations providing financial support, potentially including branded impact reports, staff engagement, and social media content in return.
3. Trust and Foundation Funding: Flexible donations or project-specific support from trusts and foundations to power mentoring programmes and build circular economy networks.
4. Payroll Giving: Regular donations deducted directly from salary, tax-efficient as taken before tax.
5. Legacy Giving: Gifts left in wills to support future work.
6. Events and Challenges: Fundraising through sponsored runs, challenges, bake sales, and community events with support from the organisation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Turkish Embassy in The GambiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026New 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)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Renewed 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)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership 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 GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementation 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)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey stakeholder in HUBLINK project in Uganda, engaged through stakeholder meeting alongside TUNN and Reclaim.
• Local Partners in IndonesiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wasteaid
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wasteaid-uk
• Facebookfacebook.com/WasteAid
• Instagraminstagram.com/wasteaid

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WasteAid