According to the World Bank, more than 2 billion tones of municipal waste is generated every year globally. In the fastest growing region of Sub-Saharan Africa, total waste generation is expected to triple by 2050. It will also double in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa in the same period. At present  more than half of waste is openly dumped in these regions, and the trajectories of waste growth will have vast implications for the environment. It is essential to adopt existing technologies (mechanical recycling processes i.e. sorting & shredding) in the regions where the technology is scarce and complimenting with chemical recycling in regions where it is financially affordable. The future of waste management technology is very promising. In countries such as Japan the use of smart waste management systems /technologies have proved to be efficient and effective in reducing its total waste amount by 40%. Denmark is also a good example in using smart waste management and the country has an ambitious plan of becoming free of landfill waste by 2030.