Government commits to sustainable waste management

Mutsawashe Mashandure

Herald Correspondent

The recycling of waste is an avenue for generating income and creating employment in the waste management sector, which can help in the attainment of Vision 2030, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Harare Metropolitan Province Charles Tawengwa has said.

He was addressing a clean-up campaign in Chitungwiza recently, that was running under the theme “Integrated Clean Ecosystem Approach in Fighting Wetland Pollution,”

The minister said that the Government was obligated by Section 73 of the Environmental Rights 2013, to ensure that every person has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being.

Minister Tawengwa said there is need to prepare for the hosting of the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP15) that will take place in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe in July.

“The focus will be on removing waste from our wetlands or waste dumped near wetland areas, which if not removed will pollute our wetlands,” he said.

“Awareness raising will focus on creating a clean wetland ecosystem as the nation prepares to observe World Wetland Day, one of the critical precursors to COP 15.”

He urged all stakeholders to collaborate towards attaining a clean, safe and healthy environment.

“I urge industries to adopt the principle of extended producer responsibility, ensuring that all waste generators track their products from manufacture to disposal. I encourage sectors within the province to implement best practices in waste management, which remain essential,” he said.

Speaking at the same time, Chitungwiza Mayor Rosaria Mangoma advised residents to desist from creating scrap heaps.

“Some dumps are, however, created in areas that are not easily accessed by our trucks. We commit ourselves to improving roads in those areas this year and increasing the fleet of functioning waste management vehicles from seven. One of the functioning vehicles is a front-end loader,” she said.