Online Reporter
Judith Phiri
Zimpapers Business Hub
ENVIRONMENTAL management experts have called for a comprehensive waste management law to support the development of practical and evidence-based solutions for sustainable urban waste management.
This comes as Zimbabwe’s urban areas face a growing waste management crisis, driven by rapid urbanisation, limited infrastructure and weak enforcement of waste laws.
In an online webinar on Urban Waste Management in Zimbabwe: Challenges and Policy Solutions, hosted by the Public Policy and Research Institute of Zimbabwe (PPRIZ) on Thursday, experts said a well-structured and enforced waste management legislation was crucial for Zimbabwe.
Development and Peace Studies expert, Mr Didymus Dewa, said rapid urban population increase has outpaced waste management capacity.
“This is leading to overburdened systems manifesting through institutional and governance weaknesses. In the country, there are inadequate waste collection services, which are not regular and reliable waste collection resulting in the accumulation of waste in streets and public spaces,” he said.
“We are also seeing poor disposal infrastructure through illegal dumping and environmental contamination, while environmental pollution is on the rise.
“There is open dumping and improper waste disposal contaminating land, water sources and air, posing health and environmental risks among others.”
On policy suggestions to sound solid urban waste management, he said there was a need for simultaneous urban development with urbanisation.
Mr Dewa said financial devolution, funding, and resource allocation towards urban waste management were critical.
“There is also need for capacity enhancement of local authorities through technology for them to be able to carry out smart waste management through ICT and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimise waste collection, route planning and bin monitoring with a global positioning system (GPS)-enabled waste trucks, smart bins with sensors, mobile apps for reporting waste overflows,” he added.
He said smart urban waste management prioritisation was important, together with the development of a comprehensive waste management legislation.
Mr Dewa said there was a need to foster public awareness and community participation, extended producer responsibility and innovative waste management technologies that support the adoption of waste-to-energy, biogas and composting technologies.
Lupane State University (LSU) lecturer, Ms Chipo Chaora, who is an Urban Planning and Governance specialist, said in Bulawayo, waste generation was growing due to changing consumption patterns.
