adminWimbainashe Zhakata Manicaland Correspondent
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has engaged churches nationwide to help promote sustainable waste management, especially during gatherings, by educating their followers on sustainable environmental practices.
In an interview with The Herald, EMA’s environmental education and publicity officer for Manicaland, Mrs Alice Chivese, said everyone should be involved in sustainable waste manage- ment.
“We are targeting churches because they are organised institutions, which easily share information and knowledge with the people,” she said.
“The amount of solid waste generation has escalated of late and the originators or generators of this waste are not being responsible enough to take care of it.
“Therefore, everyone, including churches, should be involved in sustainable waste management through waste reduction, recovery, refuse and re- cycling.”
Waste management, she said, was among the most pressing emerging challenges confronting rural and urban authorities in Zimbabwe.
“It is our motive, as the Environmental Management Agency, to be responsible for the environment and keeping it clean,” she said.
Mrs Chivese said besides working with churches, EMA was also working with schools in cleaning the environ- ment.
“We have been motivated to explore this route after observing the large gatherings by most churches, which took days and in some cases even months, saw a lot of waste generated from food waste, packaging, plastics, cans and many more,” said Mrs Chivese.
She added that EMA planned to conduct awareness meetings and mainstream environmental issues into church programmes and teach- ings.
Mrs Chivese said their objective would only be achieved through providing sufficient sanitary facilities for outdoor church gatherings and investing in buildings, including toilets.
She said EMA would ensure that waste bins were adequately provided in all schools and churches.
It also plans to donate branded bins to local authorities.
Mrs Chivese said they had lined up clean-up campaigns and encouraged churches to work with local authorities in cleaning towns and service centres.
“We encourage churches to have litter monitors who will manage waste at church gatherings and start waste management projects, recycling, adopt a site, zone or street for clean-up,” she said.
“We also work with churches to commemorate environmental days, tree planting and to design their own waste management plans for use.
“For the future of the environment, we are working with churches and community-based organisations to establish waste recycling centres in Manicaland. These can also be business oppor- tunities.”
Online Reporter