Online Reporter
Vijay Kumar Bahl-Chief executive officer of Varun Beverages Zimbabwe
Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit Geo Pomona Waste Management Private limited, Zimbabwe’s integrated waste management company led by executive chairman and chief executive officer, Dr Dilesh Nguwaya,.
The visit was not merely about waste management—it was about seeing how a national vision can be translated into tangible infrastructure, operational excellence and long-term economic opportunity.
Supporting the Government’s objective of a clean and healthy Zimbabwe, Geo Pomona has transformed what was once largely a dumping site into a modern integrated waste management complex.
The facility features a modern fleet of collection vehicles, a recently commissioned sorting and baling plant, engineered waste management systems, landscaped surroundings and public amenities.
From what we observed, the project represents an impressive example of integrated waste management.
Its scale, organisation and execution compare favourably with many advanced facilities internationally and provide useful ideas that could be relevant for cities across Africa and beyond.
Geo Pomona currently collects about 1 000 tonnes of municipal waste every day from Harare and surrounding areas.
Plastic forms a significant part of this waste stream, with PET creating a major opportunity for value addition. Today, much of this material is collected by local entrepreneurs before being recycled locally or exported for further processing.
This is where Zimbabwe can move further up the value chain.
RJ Corporation, the holding company of Varun Beverages, together with its partners, is evaluating the establishment of a large-scale PET recycling facility in Zimbabwe. The vision is to convert post-consumer PET into food-grade recycled PET resin and eventually manufacture PET preforms locally—creating investment, employment, technology transfer, import substitution and a stronger circular economy.
We also discussed future opportunities in waste-to-energy, where municipal waste can contribute to electricity generation while reducing landfill dependence.
Congratulations to Dr Nguwaya and the entire Geo Pomona team for building a strong performance culture and delivering a project of national significance. Sustainable development is achieved when vision is matched by disciplined execution, and today’s visit demonstrated that principle well.
Zimbabwe has the opportunity to become not only a consumer of recycling technology, but also a regional leader in the circular economy.
