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We believe informal waste systems are not a problem to replace, they're infrastructure to formalize.

Founder's message

A Message from the Founder

Africa's waste isn't a crisis — it's a platform for change. Over 90% is managed by informal workers whose labor is invisible, unsupported, and undervalued. Meanwhile, 98% of the continent's waste infrastructure ignores technology entirely.

At SWIMS, we see it differently. We're not fixing Africa's waste problem. We're unleashing its potential.

We're legitimizing informal waste workers — giving collectors the tools, data, and formal recognition to build real livelihoods and communities that depend on them. Through DTRACKER, we've proven it works: collectors earn more, households get reliable service, and what was invisible becomes visible.

We're also giving governments and organizations the intelligence they need. Real-time tracking. Data-driven decisions. The foundation to move from open dumping to coordinated systems. Because you can't formalize what you can't see.

By 2035, we aim to reach 100,000 collectors across Sub-Saharan Africa — turning informal networks into formal infrastructure that works for communities, not against them.

Portrait of Fru-Mark Carrington Chei, SWIMS founder and CEO
Fru-Mark Carrington CheiFounder & CEO

Meet the team

  • Portrait of Fru-Mark Carrington Chei, SWIMS founder and CEO
    Fru-Mark Carrington CheiFounder & CEO
  • Portrait of Ntoh Epotie Alida, SWIMS co-founder and COO
    Ntoh Epotie AlidaCofounder & COO
  • Portrait of Tardzenyuy Brian Harris, SWIMS co-founder and marketing director
    Tardzenyuy Brian HarrisCo-founder & Marketing director
  • Portrait of Arrey-Etta Bessong, SWIMS co-founder and technology systems director
    Arrey-Etta BessongCo-founder & technology systems director

Backed by

Customers and partners trusting SWIMS as a to transform the smart waste management industry in Africa

  • Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub logo
  • BeVisioneers, the Mercedes-Benz Fellowship, logo
  • Athena VC logo
  • MIT Solve logo
  • TIC Summit logo

Don't wait for the solution, become the solution

  • Get steady customersBuild your own regular route of homes and businesses that depend on you
  • Get paid instantlyNo middleman. No delays. Direct payment every pickup
  • Track your earningsSee exactly how much you made, where it came from, and watch your income grow
  • Earn creditsCollect recyclables, build your reputation, convert credits to cash
  • Grow your businessThe more reliable you are, the more customers you get
Two phones running DTRACKER, showing a collector's pickups and earnings

Our top products and initiatives

  • DTRACKER

    The mobile app connecting informal waste collectors to households, eliminating middlemen, and enabling direct earning through transparent tracking and real-time payment — proven to increase collector income by 500% in pilot communities.

  • SWIMS monitoring dashboard displaying live waste collection data

    SWIMS Platform

    A data-informed platform combining IoT sensors, GPS tracking, and AI analytics to give governments and organizations real-time visibility into collection routes, volumes, and performer data — transforming invisible informal systems into formal, coordinated infrastructure.

  • The SWIMS Design Challenge, an open call for waste innovation projects

    SWIMS Design Challenge

    A continent-wide initiative engaging 300+ designers to create campaigns, posters, and concepts that shift perception — proving sensitization works through visibility and recognition, not fear, when informal collectors get formal spotlight.

Latest blogs

  • Lessons from Bangalores MWM ecosystem

    A conversation with a Dr. Meenakshi Barath showed me how Bangalore's responsible waste management advocates push 3-way separation at home and promote recycling through

  • Lessons from Bangalores MWM ecosystem

    A conversation with a Dr. Meenakshi Barath showed me how Bangalore's responsible waste management advocates push 3-way separation at home and promote recycling through

  • Lessons from Bangalores MWM ecosystem

    A conversation with a Dr. Meenakshi Barath showed me how Bangalore's responsible waste management advocates push 3-way separation at home and promote recycling through

  • Lessons from Bangalores MWM ecosystem

    A conversation with a Dr. Meenakshi Barath showed me how Bangalore's responsible waste management advocates push 3-way separation at home and promote recycling through

Go to all blogs

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Three collectors in high-visibility vests holding bags of sorted waste after a neighbourhood pickup