Published: December 3, 2025
Green Guard Eco Solutions Incorporated is emerging as one of Liberia’s most ambitious and transformative waste-management initiatives. Led by former lawmaker Edward W. Karfiah, the company aims to tackle some of the country’s most persistent environmental and public-health challenges from overflowing rubbish and blocked sewer lines to deforestation, limited electricity access, and sanitation hazards by converting waste into clean, renewable energy. In a country battling pollution and weak infrastructure, Green Guard Eco Solutions presents a technology-driven pathway toward cleaner communities and a more sustainable economy.
A Crisis of Waste and Sanitation in Liberia
Liberia currently generates vast amounts of waste daily. According to national estimates referenced by the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA), the country produces roughly 1.5 million kilograms of solid waste per day, at a rate of about 0.44 kg per person per day. Alarmingly, about 84.4% of that waste is not managed properly, meaning it ends up in unofficial dumpsites, drains, water bodies, or even the streets.
In the capital, Monrovia alone generates up to 800 tonnes of domestic solid waste every day. Yet only about 45 percent of that waste is collected through formal systems. The rest is left uncollected, dumped illegally, or burned practices that contribute to poor sanitation, environmental degradation, and significant health hazards.
Because of decades of under-resourced waste collection systems, many communities in Monrovia and other urban centers resort to open dumping, water-body dumping, illegal burning, or burying trash near homes. In many neighborhoods, drainage systems are blocked by waste, increasing the risk of flooding and water-borne disease. Historically, waste mismanagement has been one of Monrovia’s greatest public-health threats, with waste piles, poor sewage, and inadequate sanitation causing rampant disease, contaminated water supplies, and frequent flooding.
In response to this deteriorating situation, the government has recently taken steps to confront the crisis more systematically. On October 17, 2024, the EPA validated the new National Solid Waste Management Policy (NSWMP), a milestone that commits state authorities to work with private service providers in waste and sanitation service delivery across Liberia.
The timing of Green Guard Eco Solutions, a private, purpose-driven enterprise, could not be more strategic.
From Parliament to Environmental Enterprise: A Career Shift Driven by Purpose
After serving in the Legislature, Edward W. Karfiah made a deliberate decision to step into environmental management. He describes the move as purposeful, motivated by the urgent need to address everyday problems affecting Liberians. “Life is made of ups and downs,” he said. “Sometimes you step out of one space and step into another because greater opportunities to serve your society might be outside the usual turf.” His reorientation is rooted in community commitment, recognizing that the waste and sanitation crisis deeply impacts both urban and rural life across Liberia.
For Karfiah and his team, the waste problem is not merely an eyesore; it is a national emergency requiring practical, long-term solutions. Green Guard Eco Solutions reflects that mindset not just cleanup, but transformation, turning waste into resources.
In a major step toward public awareness and transparency, Karfiah recently addressed scores of media institutions, explaining the company’s mission, progress, technology, and expected national impact. His briefing emphasized the urgency of waste-to-energy innovation and the need for Liberia to embrace modern, sustainable solutions.
Waste-to-Energy: A Modern Approach to a National Challenge
Green Guard Eco Solutions plans to use modern waste-to-energy technology to convert both solid and septic waste into usable products like cooking gas and electricity. According to Karfiah, this shift is long overdue.
Liberia depends heavily on biomass, firewood and charcoal, for cooking and energy, especially outside urban areas. This dependence has been a major driver of deforestation and environmental degradation nationwide. By converting waste to usable energy, Green Guard aims to provide an affordable and clean alternative to charcoal, reduce deforestation, ease sanitation pressure, and offer a renewable energy source.
For a country where electricity access remains limited, especially outside the main urban centers, such innovations could significantly contribute to national energy security.
“Waste should not only be dumped,” Karfiah explains. “It can become a resource. We want to create a cleaner, healthier environment while making energy more affordable.”
Plans into Action: Green Guard’s Preparations & Early Achievements
Green Guard Eco Solutions plans to begin full operations in December, following months of preparation since its launch in May. Among its early and most significant achievements is the completion of a five-kilometer access road from Bentol Road to its project site, supervised by certified engineers and approved by the Ministry of Public Works. This infrastructure is essential for supporting heavy-duty trucks that will transport waste to the facility safely and reliably.
In addition, the company has established an operational center, recruited both permanent and temporary staff, and partnered with technical experts with more than three decades of experience in waste-to-energy conversion. “Quality matters,” Karfiah said. “Cheap work becomes more expensive later. We built a standard road because heavy-duty waste trucks will rely on it daily.”
These investments infrastructure, staffing, partnerships ensure that once operations begin, Green Guard will be equipped not just for waste collection but for full processing and renewable energy generation.
Partnerships, Institutional Alignment, and Policy Support
Green Guard’s vision aligns closely with recent national policy developments. With the adoption of the National Solid Waste Management Policy, the government has signaled openness to private-sector collaboration in waste management.
The company is engaging with relevant government institutions responsible for sanitation and sewage management. Its objective is to treat both solid and septic waste, offering a “full-loop” solution from collection to processing and transformation into energy. International partners with decades of experience are supporting both the technical and financial pillars of the company’s early operations.
This approach is well-suited to Liberia’s context of under-resourced municipalities, weak sanitation infrastructure, and rising waste generation.
Potential Impacts: Jobs, Public Health, Environment, Energy
Green Guard Eco Solutions promises wide-ranging benefits.
First, the company is already creating employment especially for young people through both permanent and temporary positions. As operations expand, the number of jobs is expected to grow.
Second, the project could significantly strengthen public health and environmental resilience. Proper waste management will reduce flooding, limit pollution, and minimize disease risks, especially water-borne illnesses and those linked to open dumpsites.
Third, by producing clean cooking gas and other energy sources, the company can help reduce charcoal dependence, a major driver of national deforestation.
Fourth, waste-derived energy could help strengthen Liberia’s fragile electricity sector and expand access for households and small businesses.
Looking Beyond Monrovia: National Expansion and Rural Engagement
Although currently operating in Montserrado County, Green Guard Eco Solutions plans to extend its services to other regions. Karfiah disclosed that discussions are underway with mayors and local leaders in several counties, including Bong County.
Waste management challenges exist nationwide. By expanding beyond the capital, Green Guard could help build more resilient waste-management systems across Liberia. Such expansion aligns with the country’s development goals, including environmental protection, improved sanitation, and climate-change adaptation.
Toward a Cleaner, Greener Liberia —From Waste to Wealth
As Green Guard Eco Solutions prepares for its full launch this December, the company stands at the intersection of environmental urgency, policy momentum, and public demand. With proper execution, it could become a national model for sustainable waste management and renewable energy generation.
By turning what many see as a crisis, waste accumulation, poor sanitation, and environmental degradation into economic and environmental opportunity, Green Guard has the potential to improve living conditions across Liberia.
As Karfiah puts it:“We want to move Liberia from waste to wealth, one community at a time.”
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