Nile Breweries, Yo-Waste partner to advance glass recycling in Uganda

UGANDA – Nile Breweries Limited (NBL), Uganda’s largest brewer and a subsidiary of AB InBev, has partnered with local waste tech startup Yo-Waste to successfully pilot a glass bottle recycling initiative aimed at improving Uganda’s limited glass waste management infrastructure.

The collaboration is part of the AB InBev 100+ Accelerator Program, a global initiative supporting startups with scalable sustainability solutions.

Launched in August 2024 and concluded in March 2025, the pilot focused on the collection, sorting, and transportation of post-consumer glass bottles in Kampala and surrounding areas.

Despite the absence of domestic glass recycling facilities, the project successfully collected 63 metric tonnes of used glass, surpassing its initial target of 50 tonnes.

The collected glass was then exported to Tanzania, where it was processed into cullet and reintegrated into AB InBev’s bottle manufacturing system, enabling a closed-loop recycling model.

“This initiative demonstrates that circular solutions are achievable, even in markets with infrastructure gaps,” said Emmanuel Njuki, Legal & Corporate Affairs Lead at Nile Breweries.

“Through partnerships with 15 outlets and a tech-enabled collection system powered by the Yo-Waste mobile app, we created a model that not only reduces waste but also shows the impact of local innovation.”

The project reinforces NBL’s long-standing commitment to sustainable packaging.

Over 90% of NBL’s products are currently sold in returnable bottles, drastically reducing the use of single-use packaging.

Additionally, its breweries in Jinja and Mbarara have achieved average recycling rates exceeding 90%, driven by rigorous waste segregation and material reuse policies.

Yo-Waste, known for digitizing waste collection through its app, played a crucial role in ensuring efficient scheduling and tracking of pickups, offering valuable insights into consumer behavior and collection patterns.

Encouraged by the pilot’s success, NBL plans to scale the initiative nationwide, establish more collection points, and launch public awareness campaigns to foster a culture of recycling.

“We believe this is just the beginning,” Njuki noted. “With the right partnerships and innovation, we can help build a truly circular economy in Uganda, one glass bottle at a time.”

The initiative also supports AB InBev’s global sustainability goal of ensuring that 100% of its products are in returnable or majority-recycled packaging and provides a replicable model for other markets in Sub-Saharan Africa where recycling infrastructure remains underdeveloped.

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