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Youth Buzz
Fatima Bulla-Musakwa
THE Harare City Council has been grappling with solid waste management for years.
Amid all this, a local youth-led organisation claims it has a solution to the problem.
Keep Zimbabwe Beautiful (KZB) is finalising work on a smart waste management concept that could come in handy for city fathers, especially in the Central Business District.
KZB chief executive officer Mr Bob Mavende is spearheading the start-up seeking to onboard Harare residents in the drive to clean their environment.
The organisation is preparing to roll out a smart waste management system that will see the installation of specialised litter bins, which are coded using street names and a set of numbers for identification.
The public will use these codes to report waste receptacles that are full and require emptying for immediate attention.
A report can be filed by scanning the bin’s QR code and it will be automatically directed to a WhatsApp contact.
The report will show the bin’s location and the nature of attention required.
Each receptacle has two compartments to ensure separation of different types of waste. This is aimed at facilitating recycling.
It has been designed to hold a liner bag that makes collection of waste easier.
Mr Mavende, who is spearheading the initiative, said his organisation has received the greenlight from the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry to pilot the project.
KZB is now awaiting final approval from the council to commence work.
“Keep Zimbabwe Beautiful has designed the BillyBob street bin, which meets the needs of residents and visitors when they are in the city centre,” he said.
“Council wants to improve the outlook of the city by having uniform bins that are in sync with the architecture and heritage of the place.
“The BillyBob street bin meets these requirements.
“Through these bins, we want to implement a new approach in managing litter and locating ‘on-the-go’ recycling bins in the city to try to reduce littering, increase recycling and improve service efficiency.”
Mr Mavende said since the Harare City Council was understaffed, his organisation would set up teams of “green cyclers” to monitor and empty the bins during the pilot phase.
“Green cyclers are the personnel who will perform their duties using trailer bicycles,” he added.
“Once they receive a text message, the green cyclers will immediately go to the spot where the report has been made and empty the bin and replace the liner. They will transfer the full bin liner to a waste port and separate the recyclables.”
Residual waste will be collected by garbage trucks, he said.
“In addition, the bin also offers advertising space for corporates because we want the initiative to be sustainable, since the city council has no manpower or financial resources to run such an intricate operation.
“We will use the proceeds to expand the initiative and maintain the bins,” he added.
KZB plans to identify places with high and low human traffic to trace the waste disposal trends in the city.
“So far, we have 12 bins that are ready for use. We will place some of them close to Town House on Monday (tomorrow).
“We want to introduce a new approach to waste management, while also promoting recycling on the go.
“We are proposing a uniform two-way stream bin — one for wet waste and the other for dry waste to allow for garbage separation at source and promoting recycling on the go.”
◆ Twitter: @BullaFatima
Online Reporter