The purpose of this research was to determine the contribution of solid waste recycling companies to the job
market in Zambia. A comprehensive database of patents and company registration agency for thirty-four
companies working with waste recycling in Zambia was used. The data was collected through semi-structured
interviews with key stakeholders. The results revealed that recycling companies create job opportunities and
environmental benefits. The study has also established that recycling industry is growing rapidly. However, the
sector has a lot of challenges e.g. the poor status of machinery. Old technologies have made the industry
structure more costly to operate at full capacity. There was no significant difference (p >.05) in job creation
between companies using old and new technologies (p = 0.635). Similarly, there was no significant difference
(p >.05) in contribution to job creation between paper and plastic recycling (p = 0.456). However, there was a
significant (p<.05) difference in efficiency between old and new technologies