Poor battery recycling drives lead poisoning risks in Africa's solar energy boom

Africa's off-grid solar boom is creating a public-health problem that experts say is growing alongside the clean-energy transition.

An Associated Press report published on April 30 says the rapid expansion of off-grid solar and battery storage is increasing demand for lead-acid batteries, while weak recycling systems are allowing toxic lead to escape into air, soil and water.

The AP story points to Kenya's Owino Uhuru as a stark example. The settlement has struggled with contamination linked to a closed lead-battery recycling plant, showing how pollution can linger long after a facility shuts down.

A February 2026 Center for Global Development paper said most off-grid solar systems in sub-Saharan Africa use lead-acid batteries and warned that unsafe recycling is a major source of lead exposure. A follow-up CGD paper in March described informal collection networks and sub-standard recycling practices in selected African settings.

WHO and UNEP both warn that improper lead-acid battery recycling is harmful, and UNEP has published guidance on environmentally sound management of used lead-acid batteries.

The core challenge is straightforward: electrification is expanding faster than the systems needed to handle the batteries safely at the end of their life.

That leaves governments and industry with a difficult task. They are being asked to speed up access to solar power while also building the enforcement, collection and recycling capacity needed to keep lead out of communities and water supplies.