Online Reporter
Vusumuzi Dube Deputy Radar Editor
BULAWAYO’S waste management system is facing an unprecedented crisis, with the City Council warning that an ageing refuse collection fleet, a shortage of service vehicles and crippled environmental laws enforcement are threatening public health as uncollected garbage and illegal dumping escalate across the city.
A report tabled before the latest full council meeting reveals that 14 of the city’s 20 refuse compactors have outlived their economic lifespan, leaving the local authority struggling to provide consistent refuse collection services while environmental health officers can no longer act against illegal dumping because they lack transport.
The report paints a grim picture of a city battling to keep its streets and suburbs clean as deteriorating equipment, ageing vehicles and limited resources continue to erode service delivery.
Council says only three to five of its refuse compactors are operational on any given day, forcing it to rely on seven hired compactors from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works and six additional trucks from the Bulawayo Waste Management Truckers Association to prevent a complete collapse of refuse collection services.
Even with this support, authorities admit they are struggling to keep pace with the growing volumes of waste generated across the city.
“Despite these efforts, the section continued to face significant operational challenges, particularly with the investigation and resolution of service complaints. The shortage of supervisory vehicles remained a major constraint, with seven supervisors having to share only three vehicles, two of which are over 30 years old and were frequently out of service due to mechanical breakdowns. This adversely affected supervision, monitoring, and responsiveness to public complaints,” reads part of the report.
The city’s specialised healthcare waste collection service has also been affected after its dedicated truck developed mechanical faults, forcing council to use a supervisor’s vehicle to collect hazardous medical waste from health institutions.
“The collection of healthcare waste also experienced difficulties following the grounding of the truck specifically dedicated to this service due to a mechanical fault. As an interim measure, the department had to improvise by utilising one of the supervisors’ vans to ensure continuity of this critical service,” reads the report.
While between 10 and 12 refuse compactors are deployed daily to service the eastern suburbs and the Central Business District, refuse collection in Wards Six to 29 continues to rely heavily on private contractors.
Council warned that the ageing fleet continues to undermine the reliability and efficiency of refuse collection, heightening the risk of environmental pollution and disease outbreaks.
“Furthermore, 14 of the city’s 20 refuse compactors had exceeded their economic service life and were increasingly prone to frequent mechanical breakdowns. The ageing fleet continued to undermine the reliability and efficiency of refuse collection services,” reads the report.
The report further reveals that Bulawayo’s campaign against illegal dumping has been severely weakened by a lack of transport for environmental health officers.
Despite increasing reports of indiscriminate waste disposal in residential suburbs, open spaces and along roadsides, only four tickets for illegal dumping offences were issued during the reporting period because officers were unable to conduct adequate inspections and enforcement patrols.
Council acknowledged that while environmental health officers carried out 14 community clean-up campaigns and 27 public health education sessions, enforcement remained largely ineffective because of mobility challenges.
“Given the increasing prevalence of indiscriminate waste disposal across the city, there is a pressing need to strengthen the unit through the provision of dedicated transport and additional personnel. Such support would enable the unit to intensify surveillance, public education and enforcement activities aimed at curbing illegal dumping and improving overall environmental sanitation,” the report states.
The inability to effectively police illegal dumping comes as residents continue to complain about growing illegal dumpsites, delayed refuse collection and deteriorating environmental conditions in several suburbs.
During the reporting period, council removed more than 3,9 million kilogrammes of residential solid waste from across the city, illustrating the scale of the waste management challenge confronting the local authority.
To address the long-term crisis, council said it is working with development partner Mercy Corps to develop a comprehensive Solid Waste Management Master Plan aimed at improving refuse collection, waste disposal and environmental management.
The latest revelations are likely to intensify concerns among residents over the city’s ability to maintain basic sanitation services, with ageing equipment, inadequate transport and weak law enforcement combining to undermine Bulawayo’s fight against illegal dumping and environmental degradation.
