By Biruk Tsehay Abera, 2026 Africa Zero Waste Academy Participant
My name is Biruk Tsehay Abera, and I co-founded Jitu Organic Fertilizer. “Jitu” means giving and providing, and it also symbolizes prosperity and fertility.
I was born and raised in Addis Ababa. Like many rapidly growing African cities, it is experiencing migration, rapid urbanization, and modernization, all of which increase and diversify waste generation. The city generates about 3,000 metric tonnes of waste daily, much of which ends up in landfills rather than at decentralized composting facilities such as Jitu Organic Fertilizer. About 70% of the waste generated is organic and can be composted.
Currently, Addis Ababa’s reliance on open landfilling creates serious environmental problems, including methane emissions, leachate that can contaminate surface and groundwater, and air pollution.
At Jitu, we have been working on practical solutions by advocating for better waste management, creating accessible waste streams for compost producers, developing market opportunities, and providing training and capacity development.
I have witnessed this transformation firsthand and contributed to it alongside my fellow actors in the waste sector. We have achieved important successes, but the biggest change is still ahead.
This combined experience is why I applied to the Zero Waste Academy.
I have always told myself I am a lion among lions. But through the Zero Waste Academy, I have met the true lions, the heroes and heroines of the zero waste movement.
Seeing my fellow African brothers and sisters join this journey—bringing innovations rooted in their local contexts, creating social and economic change, and making their voices heard— has been an incredible experience.
Being part of this global movement—sharing our stories in person, building connections, learning from one another’s lifelong experiences, and witnessing how far people have come—and the determination they have to keep moving forward with hope and commitment—has been one of the most powerful experiences of my life.
ABIB Zero Waste Project: A New Beginning
Our goal is to move toward zero waste.
ABIB is a Hebrew word associated with spring, renewal, and a new beginning. For me, it represents the transformation we seek in the waste sector.
To achieve this transformation, integrating and building capacity across the waste sector are essential. I came to the Zero Waste Academy looking for practical solutions and an eye-opening experience that would help me see waste from a broader perspective—not only from a scientific standpoint, but also through its social, economic, political, and global dimensions.
The waste sector affects diverse groups, including women, children, minority communities, persons with disabilities, waste workers, and compost producers. Their experiences and challenges must be part of the zero-waste conversation at both the national and international levels.
In the waste sector, we often see a mountain of waste that seems impossible to move, a wall of dirt that seems impossible to break, and the distance that seems impossible to reach. Yet, beyond the dark sky covered by dust, we can always see a horizon.
That horizon represents hope and determination.
One of our greatest challenges is building greater integrity, collaboration, and solidarity within the sector. Waste workers and compost producers need to come together, share knowledge and skills, advocate collectively, and create safe spaces for dialogue.
The Zero Waste Academy has shown me that I am no longer standing alone.
The challenges we face are similar. The system is broken in ways that keep those working toward circularity and zero waste from reaching their full potential.
But I believe that these challenges can also become opportunities for transformation.
My Dream
I have a dream: to build Africa’s largest organic fertilizer facility.
With great power comes great responsibility. Understanding the reality of the waste sector, identifying the right direction, and building the right partnerships have therefore been among my biggest considerations.
The Zero Waste Academy has given me something beyond knowledge. It has connected me to a regional and continental network of waste workers and changemakers across Africa who have the will, determination, and belief to transform the sector.
This network is a major step toward creating sustainable jobs and improving livelihood security. It strengthens our ability to advocate, share experiences, learn from one another, and change people’s attitudes toward waste.
What I Am Taking Forward
Through the Zero Waste Academy, I have learned the power of advocacy, community engagement, and collective action. I have seen how associations can help waste workers organize, strengthen their voices, and advocate for better working conditions and legal protection.
This experience has also strengthened my confidence as an advocate. It has helped me understand that waste is not simply waste. It has economic, political, social, environmental, and global dimensions.
The overwhelming challenges waste pickers and informal waste collectors face have further convinced me of the importance of building strong organizations and associations for compost producers and waste workers. Collective organization can create stronger negotiating power for better working environments, recognition, and legal protection.
Shaping the Future
Shaping the future is like carving stone. It is not a simple task. You need the right tools, the right skills, and the determination of a skilled craftsman.
I believe the Zero Waste Academy has given me some of those tools.
Now, it is time for me to turn social problems into life-changing solutions.
I came to the Academy looking for practical solutions. I leave with new knowledge, new partnerships, new confidence, and a stronger belief that transformation is possible when we work together.
The journey toward zero waste is far from over.
This is only the beginning.
See you at the top!
Biruk Tsehay Abera
