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Paidamoyo Chipunza Senior Reporter
Government has taken the national clean-up campaign to another level as residents are now encouraged to separate waste for recycling, with Mbare, in Harare, becoming the latest targeted suburb to get a waste collection centre, Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Prisca Mupfumira has said.
Speaking at a clean-up campaign held in Mbare yesterday, Minister Mupfumira said while communities were doing their part in cleaning their environment, the major hurdle was uncollected garbage.
“The feedback that we have been getting from residents is on refuse collection. There is no consistence in garbage collection, but we are saying there is a way of addressing that,” said Minister Mupfumira.
“Let us embrace waste separation practice and you will be paid for availing that waste for recycling,” said Minister Mupfumira.
She said the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has already started this process in some suburbs in Harare and other parts of the country.
Minister Mupfumira said Zimbabwe has been ranked on top of the list of tourism destinations in Africa, hence tourists must find the country clean when they visit.
EMA director-general Mr Aaron Chigona said other suburbs that are already leading the way in waste collection are Sunningdale in Harare, Chirundu, Kariba, Karoi and Gokwe and Mbare was the next suburb where a centre will soon be set up.
“People have not yet tapped the opportunity in commercialising environmental activities, waste management is one of them and we have started by setting up waste collection centres. The best case is Sunningdale,” he said.
He said there were teams collecting all forms of waste, which include plastic containers, newsprint/bond papers, beverage cans and even biodegradable waste for a fee.
At the moment, a kilogramme of 500mls plastic containers fetches at least $1 and up to $1 000 per tonne.
“What we want now is to do it at a large-scale, where we are going to get into every household, introduce two bags —a green bag (for recyclable material) and a black bag (biodegradable waste),” he said.
He said Mbare had enough land for decomposition pits also known as vermiculture composts, which breed worms, which are also sold to the poultry industry for poultry feed.
“This project is one thing that can be done here because there is enough raw material for that,” he said.
He said there were takers for all waste products on the market at the moment, which just wait for willing residents to take up the opportunity.
Harare town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango said this initiative was welcome as it lessens the burden of refuse collection on the municipality.
He said once residents embrace the waste separation practice, refuse refusal teams will now concentrate on collecting biodegradable waste only, which will be taken to the dumb site.
“There are also other proposals that are coming through and we are in the process of looking into them because eliminating accumulation of garbage also makes work easier for us,” said Eng Chisango.
Mbare is one of the diarrhoeal diseases hotspots in Harare with uncollected garbage cited as one of the breeding spaces for disease causing bacterium.
Online Reporter