Online Reporter
Maria Chiguvari
A VOLUNTEER-DRIVEN initiative in Juliasdale, Nyanga District, is appealing for greater support from Government and the private sector as it works to curb rising plastic pollution and improve waste management in rural communities.
The Juliasdale Community Recycling Group collects and processes recyclable materials including plastic, glass and aluminium cans to prevent them from ending up in landfills, where they can pose long-term environmental and health risks.
Group member Ms Lisa Langhaug said plastic pollution had become one of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges, with growing evidence linking microplastics to potential health problems in humans.
“Plastic breaks down into tiny particles known as microplastics and nanoplastics, which contaminate soil, water and food chains,” she said.
“Research now shows that microplastics are present in human blood, brains, lungs, livers and even placentas, raising concerns about their impact on human health and future generations.”
She said tackling plastic pollution requires changes in consumer behaviour, including reducing reliance on single-use plastics, carrying reusable shopping bags and using refillable water bottles.
The group collects plastic waste from across Juliasdale, cleans and sorts it before baling it for transportation to recycling facilities.
However, the initiative faces significant logistical challenges because only two of the seven common types of plastic used in Zimbabwe are currently recycled in Harare.
The remaining five types are processed by a recycling company in Victoria Falls, making transportation costly and difficult for community-based recyclers.
As a result, the group is seeking partnerships with transport operators and businesses willing to assist in moving baled plastic waste from Juliasdale to Victoria Falls for recycling.
In addition to plastic, the initiative also recycles glass and aluminium cans, materials that require far less energy to recycle than to manufacture from raw materials.
According to the group, recycling one tonne of glass can save up to 2 000 kilowatt-hours of energy, while recycling aluminium uses up to 95 percent less energy than producing new aluminium.
Despite these benefits, transporting glass for recycling has remained a major challenge because of its weight, making the process expensive and often uneconomical.
To help address this problem, Rainbow Tourism Group and Cresta Hotels recently donated a glass crusher to the community initiative.
The equipment allows recyclers to crush collected glass before transportation, significantly reducing its volume and lowering transport costs to recycling facilities in Harare.
“We are extremely grateful for the donation because glass recycling has always operated at a loss due to transport costs,” said the group.
