Chronicle EditorJohn Murwira Mash West Correspondent
THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) is calling on councils to practise proper solid waste management, as illegal dumping has become a cause for concern in the province.
Responding to concerns raised by Chinhoyi residents over the town’s illegal dump site, EMA’s education and publicity officer for Mashonaland West Province, Mr Munyaradzi Nhariswa, said solid waste management was one of the most pressing issues confronting local authorities throughout the province.
“Although the challenge was mostly confined to urban areas, it is now spreading to rural district councils and local town boards. Rapid urbanisation leading to high population densities, sprouting illegal settlements, expansion of residential and industrial areas, as well as changing consumption patterns have led to a dramatic increase in solid waste generation,” he said.
Mr Nhariswa said packaging of consumer goods had not only increased the quantity of wastes, but also the varieties of waste generated, further complicating the problem for local authorities.
He said matching the increase in refuse generation with a similar increase in necessary infrastructure and services had been a major challenge for local authorities and this resulted in illegal dumps in open spaces, pits, vacant plots, roadsides, in alleys, as well as in storm water drains, due to non-collection of waste.
“Our local authorities still make use of the traditional closed solid waste management system that involves five stages, that is, generation, storage, collection, transportation and disposal of waste and the major challenges at each of these stages are compounded by the unsustainable high volumes of waste generated, such that the local authorities are failing to cope with the pressure,” said Mr Nhariswa.
“This has led to the current system of waste management practices which concentrates on collection and disposal, with very little attention paid to controlling generation.
“The absence of landfills is an issue in most towns and rural service centres. Most urban local authorities, namely Karoi Town Council, Municipality of Chinhoyi, Municipality of Chegutu and rural district councils are still making use of the old dump system, only two urban local authorities, Norton and City of Kadoma have landfills.”
Mr Nhariswa said as EMA, they urged both rural and urban local authorities to prioritise waste management through stakeholder engagement, waste collection and construction of proper waste disposal facilities within their areas of jurisdiction.
“To the general populace, let us all consider what we want to buy before paying for it. We need to make the right choices when buying groceries and other household items. Look for durable products rather than disposable products and consider the packaging as well as the ability to recycle,” he said.
“Returnable packaging, as opposed to non-returnable e.g. bottled drinks as opposed to PET. Furthermore, research has shown that 13 percent of solid waste generated in residential areas is plastic material, which is not easily biodegradable. Use of reusable bags or baskets when going for shopping is the only solution to curbing this challenge.”
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