Mozambique, one of the ten poorest countries in the world and with an economy largely dependent on the raw materials business, environmental sustainability is at risk. The fall of the oil price and, consequently, of raw materials, made recycling in Mozambique no longer sustainable. In Maputo, recycling was limited to scrap exports.

It was in 2006, with the implementation of pre-processing of cans, glass, plastic and organic waste, that recycling gained diversity. However, the collection of recyclable materials, as well as the collection of garbage, is precarious and is based mainly on the daily work of waste pickers who are divided between the two ecopoints of Maputo and the two main dumps of the capital: Hulene and Matola where they work more than three and a half thousand families.

The lack of waste processing processes in Mozambique means that waste is compacted and conditioned in the country pending export to South Africa and China. As a result, the volume of waste increases and most of the added value in the recycling process is made abroad. The lack of environmental enforcement in the country under existing laws is also a problem.