Rwanda's Ministry of ICT and Innovation launched a call for tenders to select a company that will implement a smart waste management system in the city of Kigali. The winning bidder will be announced in December.

The $100,000 project will include smart garbage cans and smart waste stations. According to the secretariat of Smart Africa, which assists Rwanda in the implementation of the project, the initiative will start as soon as the contract is signed.

A pilot phase will first be launched to test the viability of the project. It will include the installation of smart waste collection stations in 10 public markets across the three districts that make up Kigali. The project focuses on the collection, transportation, treatment, recycling, and disposal of waste.

The smart waste collection stations will be solar-powered. They will have smart garbage cans with a real-time monitoring system that uses sensors to alert collectors on garbage fill levels.

The stations will also have dashboards where the information collected can be analyzed and displayed, as well as an end-to-end security system that includes video surveillance cameras and a geographic information system (GIS) to identify the source of the data.

According to newtimes.co.rw, at least 450 tons of waste are collected in Kigali every day. With the announced management system, the capital's municipal authorities hope that this task will become more efficient.

The Rwandan capital currently has a population of more than 1.6 million, which is expected to double by 2035. Waste production will then become more important. Adopting an effective management system now should enable the city to avoid a future crisis.