Fecal sludge management (FSM) and solid waste management (SWM) are consistently recognized as being insufficient in many areas within Uganda. Oftentimes, the management of these two categories of waste are organized separately and executed with insufficient resources, political will, and funding. Nevertheless, there are many opportunities for value chain creation and valorization of materials, micronutrients, and energy content contained within solid waste and fecal sludge, especially when considered together. The project team will explore circularity concepts, test a variety of techniques for utilizing dried fecal sludge (e.g., co-firing, co-composting), and target national plastic waste management (e.g., analyzing plastic recovery and recycling paths). Through which, this project aims to examine how to best optimize and integrate FSM and SWM in urban settings in Wakiso District, refugee settlements in Arua District, and for Uganda more broadly.

The results of such work are expected to:

• Improve waste-related knowledge gaps
• Build capacities of stakeholders at the university and municipal level (e.g., local authorities and service providers); and
• Change perceptions of fecal sludge-derived products by end-users (primarily subsistence and commercial farmers).

These actions, in turn, are expected to improve upon the livelihoods of many Ugandans, to include women and refugees, by reducing their exposure to harmful pollutants and pathogens, all while sustainably creating new economic opportunities in recycling, composting, and energy recovery.