‘Holistic approach needed in waste management’

Manicaland Correspondent
Mutare residents have been urged to adopt a holistic approach in waste management to safeguard public health and combat sanitary challenges facing the city.

Speaking at a clean-up campaign held in Chikanga high-density suburb recently, Mutare mayor Councillor Tatenda Nhamarare urged residents to implement effective and innovative ways of dealing with waste.

“Most households are rat infested and this can be attributed to waste mismanagement, which can be seen by the existence of several illegal dumping sites around the city,” he said.

Cllr Nhamarare also noted that mismanagement of waste has adverse effects on individuals and the environment.

“Smoke from the burning of waste increases the risk of respiratory health problems; dump sites breed rats and flies, risking food contamination, and uncontrolled dumping also increase the risk of contamination of water sources,” he said.

Mutare Bottling Company safety, health and environment officer Mr Laudworth Chinyama encouraged residents and stakeholders to start treating waste as a resource. “People should start realising that there is an economic value to waste,” he said.

Mr Chinyama also briefed residents about PETRECO, an ongoing project that simultaneously manages waste and reuses it to create various items by separating it at its source.

Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Senator Monica Mutsvangwa encouraged residents to improve household solid waste management so as to recover recyclable waste and minimise the volume of waste sent to landfills.

“I urge stakeholder involvement and engagement so as to create a clean, safe and healthy environment that is not harmful to people’s health or wellbeing,” she said.

She also encouraged residents to adopt recycling as a method of waste management, as it prevents the creation of illegal dump sites and reduce pressure on landfills by diverting a significant tonnage of waste for secondary use, thereby releasing land for alternative productive uses.

“In order to create a litter-free environment it is high time that we come up with different approaches, which are economically sound as well as environmentally friendly. Within this context, recycling could be a viable option,” she said.