Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
THE Environment Management Agency (Ema) is lobbying Government to ban disposable nappies saying human poo from incorrectly disposed diapers is washed into rivers where it contaminates drinking water and causes diseases like cholera.
The agency is arguing that disposable diapers have far-reaching negative ecological effects that outweigh their convenience.
Bulawayo residents who have stopped using traditional washable nappies yesterday denounced the proposal saying the disposables provide convenience and save on soap and water usage.
In an interview on Friday, Ema Bulawayo provincial manager Mr Decent Ndlovu said the environmental watchdog has been patiently assessing the impact of diapers since they were introduced and believes the time has come to ban them.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the Bulawayo provincial clean-up campaign held in Cowdray Park where Bulawayo City Council officials also expressed concern over rampant illegal dumping of disposable nappies.
According to greenmatters.com a conventional disposable diaper cannot be recycled, takes at least 500 years to decompose and an average baby uses about 3 000 diapers during its first year of life.
Mr Ndlovu said the diapers would be a hazard in the environment for centuries.
“They give us serious problems because they contain human waste that exposes everyone to cholera and other diseases. So, when it rains the diapers waste flows to our rivers which are also our drinking water sources,” said Mr Ndlovu.
“We are advocating for them to be banned because of the environmental hazards they are posing. If the people who produce and sell them are really concerned, they should recover and recycle them.”
He said producers of diapers should be made liable for their disposal but most of them are foreign owned and Ema does not have jurisdiction over their operations.
He said local companies that are disposing waste have found a way of following it for recycle purposes under the extended producer responsibility.
Banning of diapers, Mr Ndlovu said, could also propel some local industries that shut or scaled down operations due to falling demand for traditional washable nappies.
Bulawayo residents yesterday said instead of banning diapers, Ema and the local authority should educate the public on how to properly dispose them. “They want to ban them when there is not enough water in the city. Does that make sense? Have they done any awareness campaigns on how to dispose of them? I feel they should educate the public on ways to dispose them instead of banning them. Plus, those general nappies might seem cheaper but they are expensive as you have to constantly wash them with a lot of water and using a lot of washing soap,” said Mrs Sithandazile Kwaripo.
Mr Brian Bangwa concurred saying disposable nappies were convenient but what is needed is education on theirdisposal.
Mrs Nancy Kanyangarara lamented failure to properly dispose diapers by the present generation mothers but said banning them would not be a solution.
“All my children are now grown up but I think the problem is with the new generation of mothers who are abusing the diapers and are lazy to wash traditional nappies.
“People need to be taught how to dispose the disposable nappies because even refuse collectors do not want to see them. Where are they supposed to be taken to?” asked Mrs Kanyangarara. – @nqotshili
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