Local authorities fail to comply with dumpsite regulations- EMA raises concern 

The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has raised serious concern on the on-going lack of adherence by local authorities to properly manage dumpsites within their jurisdictions. EMA regulates and controls waste disposal in Zimbabwe whereas local authorities are responsible for the collection and disposal of waste at designated and licensed disposal sites in their respective areas.

According to EMA Environmental Education and Publicity Manager, Mrs Amkela Sidange, poor waste management remains an environmental challenge in most urban local authorities in Zimbabwe.  She said that chief among the drivers of poor waste management is the continued use of unlined dump sites, despite the provisions of Statutory Instrument 6 of 2007 which mandated all local authorities to have constructed and using standard sanitary landfills for waste disposal by 31 December 2012.

 It is reported that the agency has since the expiry of this period served orders to defaulting local authorities, with failure to comply to the orders leading to court cases, with some cases still pending before the courts.  ‘‘Few local authorities have made efforts to comply with this statutory provision, among them Gwanda, Norton and Kadoma,” Sidange said.

She   however said that failure by most local authorities to construct and use standard landfills has resulted in a plethora of environmental challenges, chief among them dumpsite fires, and identified Pomona dumpsite in Harare as one of the worst affected. Pomona dumpsite is used by the Harare City Council as a waste disposal site which over the years has turned to be both an environmental and health hazard to nearby residents due to perennial fires from the dumpsite.

 She added that local authorities in Zimbabwe are implored to discard the traditional linear model of waste management which is basically a cradle to grave system and has challenges, but adopt the circular model which impress on resource efficiency, and has more business opportunities in waste management, lasting solutions and sustainability.

The Laws which govern the management of solid waste in Zimbabwe are the Environmental Management Act (Cap 20.27), Statutory Instrument 6 of 2007 Environmental Management  (Effluent and Solid Waste Disposal) Regulations, Statutory Instrument  98 of 2010 (Plastic Bottles and Plastic Packaging) Regulations. All these laws should be strictly adhered to by every citizen, local authorities and enterprises dealing with waste management in Zimbabwe because it is everyone’s responsibility to protect the environment.