The city of Abidjan is located in Cote d’Ivoire in west Africa and generates around 1.2 to 1.7 million tons of waste a year. Since 1960, the waste management policy implemented by the various contracting authorities has not provided for a specific waste treatment sector. Projects that aim to tackle waste management in the city seem to stagnate or downright fail. This case study aims to investigate the reasons behind the multiple failures to tackle the waste issues and the consequences