Online Reporter
Judith Phiri, [email protected]
ONE of Hwange Local Board (HLB)’s infrastructural development partners, FBC Building Society, is set to construct Hwange Urban’s first biodigester at an estimated cost of over US$200 000.
The development is expected to significantly enhance solid waste management while promoting an eco-friendly environment.
HLB corporate communications officer, Mr Dumisani Nsingo, confirmed that a site for the construction of the biodigester has already been identified.
“The Department of Physical Planning and Land Management carried out a survey to determine a suitable location for the biodigester. The area has been pegged and beacons are now in place. We expect construction work to commence in the first quarter of 2026,” he said.
He explained that the biodigester would play a critical role in sustainable waste management by converting organic waste into useful resources.
The system will generate biogas for energy use, including cooking and electricity, while producing nutrient-rich fertiliser.
“It will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cut waste management costs and eliminate the need for frequent sludge removal. Council officials recently undertook a familiarisation tour in Harare to gain insight into the technology,” he added.
Mr Nsingo said some of the officials went on a look-and-learn visit to appreciate how biodigesters operate and the feedback they received left them confident that the system will work wonders for Hwange.
The biodigester is expected to serve about 200 households out of the 764 residential stands currently being serviced by FBC Building Society, with the remainder connected to Council’s conventional sewer reticulation system.
“Biodigesters are becoming increasingly important in residential waste management because they provide a decentralised, closed-loop system that converts organic waste such as food scraps and human excreta into renewable energy and fertiliser,” he said.
“By processing waste on-site, these systems significantly reduce the volume of refuse sent to landfills, minimise odours and pests, as well as lower the environmental footprint of households.”
In 2018, HLB sold 39,1948 hectares of land to FBC Building Society for the development of 764 houses and a residential flat. Under a revised arrangement, the financial institution will now focus on servicing the land rather than directly constructing houses.
The area has been planned to accommodate residential stands, a school, a commercial mall, a small to medium enterprise (SME) industrial site, a church, two crèches and open recreational spaces.Meanwhile, rural communities across the country are also adopting biogas by using biodigesters, a simple technology to produce clean and easily accessible renewable energy from biomass.
Biogas is an energy product derived from biodegradable organic material such as animal waste that is decomposed in the absence of oxygen, producing a gas mixture that is mainly composed of methane (gas).
The gas can be used directly for cooking and lighting or for generating electricity.
Biodigesters hold tremendous potential for Zimbabwe. In this Southern African nation of 17 million people, where only 42 percent of the population has access to electricity, these innovative systems are providing a sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy solution.
According to Zimbabwe’s National Energy Policy of 2012, the country’s primary energy supply is dominated by traditional fossil fuel-based energy sources.
Biomass is one example of a renewable energy source. One major advantage of the use of renewable energy is that it is sustainable and so will never run out.
Renewable energy facilities generally require less maintenance than traditional generators. Their fuel, derived from natural and available resources, reduces the costs of operations.
