A traditional linear economy follows a 'take-make-dispose' pattern, while a circular economy is designed to keep materials in use for as long as possible through reduction, reuse, repair, and recycling, minimizing what ultimately becomes waste. The waste hierarchy ranks these options by preference: reducing consumption in the first place is best, reusing items comes next, recycling materials follows, and sending waste to landfill is treated as a last resort. Africa has growing examples of this in practice, including formalizing e-waste recycling in hubs like Ghana's Agbogbloshie area, and startups that convert plastic waste into construction materials, fuel, or new consumer products, turning an environmental problem into a revenue stream.