Urban households in low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs) face the challenge of finding affordable, reliable and sustainable cooking fuel supplies. Most city residents use wood-based charcoal derived from mostly informal supply chains, which are linked to unsustainable forest logging, low efficiency production methods and long transportation routes, all factors that contribute to environmental degradation. At the same time, the provision of adequate and equitable solid waste management (SWM) services remains a major urban challenge, with municipal solid waste mainly consisting of organics. Sales of briquettes made from carbonized biowaste can potentially foster waste collection and enhance cost-recovery of SWM systems, while contributing to a sustainable energy supply.