Online Reporter
Theseus Shambare-Features Writer
FOR 41-year-old Chipo Chizikani, what began as a scuffle against unemployment has grown into a daily battle for survival and a pursuit of prosperity.
This fight is unfolding in Epworth, a sprawling settlement, 15km east of Harare central business district.
For Chizikani, picking waste began as a stopgap during bouts of unemployment – a way to earn a few dollars while looking for formal work.
“Some mornings, I stumble across dumped babies or dead dogs,” she told The Herald recently, her voice steady, but tinged with fatigue.
Armed with nothing more than a sack and a pair of worn-out gloves, she collects at least 20 kilogrammes of mixed refuse every day, searching for plastics, paper, aluminium cans, and other discarded items.
“What started as a temporary hustle quickly became my main source of income,” she says.
“I realised I could make enough to feed my family, pay school fees and even grow my small tuckshop business.”
By 9am, her haul is ready to sell.
“Each tonne brings me around US$100, which I reinvest in my tuckshop and tomato stall,” she continues, smiling as she sorts her collected bottles, cans and plastics at home.
“I separate everything carefully because buyers pay differently for each type of material.”
Chizikani arranges the day’s collection with meticulous care.
What was once a short-term measure has evolved into a full-time livelihood, transforming discarded plastics, cans and papers into both cash and hope.
While she turns waste into a lifeline, the wider community grapples with the consequences of poor waste management.
A 2011 study titled; “Impact of waste disposal on health of a poor urban community in Zimbabwe”, found that only seven percent of households in Epworth are connected to a sewer system, leaving the majority reliant on simple pit or Blair toilets, or nothing at all.
The Quarry Dam “Pool of Death”, once a jewel for the community, is now shrinking under the twin pressures of siltation and contamination.
During this peak period of water shortages (September to November), Quarry Dam continues to support surrounding communities, providing essential water for daily chores.
Government-drilled boreholes have brought much-needed relief, supplying safe drinking and cooking water.
While queues at the boreholes can be long, residents have adapted responsibly, reserving borehole water for consumption and using dam water for laundry and cleaning, demonstrating both resourcefulness and the positive impact of the Government’s interventions in securing water access.
The Jacha River, another historic lifeline, is slowly disappearing, reduced to a trickle that can no longer sustain the communities that once depended on it.
Even Zinyengere Cemetery, meant to be a sacred resting place, has been desecrated into a dumping ground, where waste competes with gravestones for space.
While residents like Chizikani turn waste into a livelihood, the Epworth Local Board is taking steps to improve public spaces, hygiene and economic participation, all of which complement broader waste management efforts.
Epworth Local Board secretary, Dr Wilton Mhanda, says: “In addition to road rehabilitation, we are constructing modern vendor stalls to promote inclusive economic participation for residents.
“Public toilets around trading areas provide a secure, hygienic and orderly environment, reducing littering and contamination while empowering small-scale traders.”
Through Devolution Funds, he said, four market stalls are being built with supporting refuse management infrastructure, at Glenwood Shopping Centre; two vegetable stalls with 18 cubicles each, a flea market and a stall for electricals, prioritising vendors already operating in non-designated areas.
“By providing proper facilities for commerce and sanitation, we encourage residents to manage waste responsibly and support both public health and livelihoods,” says Dr Mhanda.
A 2021 study in Waste Management and Research by Phyllis Rumbidzai Kwenda and colleagues revealed that Harare generates an estimated 0,38 kilogrammes of household solid waste per person per day, translating to about 207 million kilogrammes annually, yet only 9,5 percent is recovered, mostly by informal pickers like Chizikani.
Dr Gareth Lagerwall, co-author of the Harare waste study says, “The streets tell the story.
“Uncollected waste chokes waterways, damages public health, and undermines dignity.”
At the old Pomona dumpsite, a 2017 study by Svongwa Nemadire, Stenly Mapurazi and George Nyamadzawo highlighted how informal recyclers performed the bulk of recovery work without protective gear or fair recognition.
Back then, the Harare City Council had no sustainable plan to integrate these workers into formal systems, despite their crucial role in diverting tonnes of waste from landfills.
But in April 2022, Pomona entered a new chapter when the site was handed over to Geo Pomona Waste Management (Pvt) Ltd, a joint venture with Geogenix BV, under a 30-year build-own-operate-transfer agreement.
“The facility is changing the face of waste management in Harare,” says Geo Pomona Waste Management Private Limited chief executive and executive chairman, Dr Dilesh Nguwaya, recently.
“We have what it takes to transform what used to be pollution into electricity.”
The workforce has trebled in less than a year, reflecting the scale of transformation.
In South Africa, a 2024 study in environmental challenges found that disposable diapers now account for a significant share of waste streams, with most households lacking proper disposal systems.
“They make life easier for mothers, but they are a nightmare for the environment,” says Chizikani, as she pushes away a soiled diaper which is not part of her collection.
Diapers are made from polyethene and polypropylene, which take up to 500 years to decompose, releasing microplastics and leachates that pollute soil and water.
“The problem is not just infrastructure but mindset,” says Harare Residents Trust (HRT) director Mr Precious Shumba.
