Waste is unwanted material, discarded after primary use. Our daily lives require resources obtained from our environment. The mother nature provides us with ecosystem services such as oxygen and waste sinks. In return, we dispose-off our waste into the environment either in our backyards or landfills. Economic growth and population increase has cultivated waste generation rates. Waste is harmful to our environment if mishandled because as it decomposes it accommodates vectors which can cause diseases like cholera and it releases menthane emissions contributing to climate change and global warming. Due to diseases caused by improper waste management, over 100 people die every year in Zimbabwe as found by Tevera’s study.
To protect our well-being and environment, collectively starting at grassroot level going up, we need to play our role by applying an integrated waste management system or hierarchy. Integrated waste management is a strategic approach to sustainable waste management covering all sources and aspects such as; waste generation, segregation, transfer, sorting, treatment, recovery and disposal in an integrated manner, with an emphasis on maximizing resource use efficiency through use of the 7Rs of waste management (reduce, re-use, recycle, refuse, repair, recruit and re-design) before disposal.
Sources of waste have different generation rates and types due to demographics, location, and economy. Our industries, residential areas and commercials for instance are some of the sources of waste. Based on each sector activities, the type and quantities of waste differ. The Harare waste stream mainly is domestic, market, commercial, industrial and institutional as revealed by Pawandiwa. The residential areas of Harare generate about 4.4 kg per capita per day, most of it being primarily organic (biodegradable). Composting our organic waste at household level would reduce the average daily waste generation rate by about 70%.
Waste is classified as either organic or inorganic, hazardous or non-hazardous. Waste types include; paper, glass, metal, food, chemicals and concrete. Residential areas and flea markets such as Mbare vegetable market mostly generate organic waste, industries mostly generate metal, plastics and chemical waste which is both organic or inorganic and mostly hazardous. Harare waste is being dumped irrespective of its origin, nature and potential impact to our well-being and environment without following proper processes of sustainable waste handling.
Urbanization, population growth and improved living standards drive waste generation rates. Harares’ population is about 2.1 million people with an annual urbanization rate of 1.1% as revealed by ZIMSTATS. Migration of people from rural settlements to urban areas in search of better living standards is the catalyst of urbanization. Today when you move around town you will see heaps of waste in various locations. More waste is being generated at source than the collected amount for processing and disposal hence the imbalance. The other factor is that, the waste management hierarchy is not being practiced at grassroot level. Thus, the steps taken towards sustainable waste management by our City Fathers are diluted.
Vendors have increased especially downtown in order for them to earn a living due to unemployment that the country is facing. Our industry is dominated by the informal sector which has bred vendors into our streets selling any marketable commodity from fruits, clothes to groceries for instance. The Sunshine City is slowly eroding its beauty and glory through vending which is cultivating littering due to lack of awareness, negligence and also lack of proper waste handling systems. Dominance from the informal sector which does not have a traceable culture makes it difficult to control and join it with an integrated waste management system.
The Harare City Council is obliged to collect waste from its citizens, though there are other private players such as Clean City. The City Council uses either a compactor truck or skip bin collector truck for door-to-door waste collection for residential areas, hospitals and institutions and skip points waste collection for markets and commercials. The set waste collection schedule is facing challenges due to inadequate equipment and lack of fuel just like any other urban council in Zimbabwe due to existing economic recession and Covid-19 effects. The City Council is expected to collect waste from residential areas, hospitals and institutions once a week and on a daily basis from commercial operators. Residential areas go for weeks without waste collection which has cultivated illegal dump sites and burning, hazardous alternatives that damage our health and environment.
About 10% of the collected waste is recycled due to inadequate recycling facilities and poor waste segregation at source which implicates recycling efforts as waste contamination alters recycling quality requirements and 90% of it is disposed at Pomona and Golden Quarry dump site. The dump sites have exceeded their carrying capacities and now they are public health and environmental hazards. The EMA Act SI 6 of 2007 ruled out the use of Pomona and Golden Quarry dump site by December 31st, 2012. Three major fire incidents have occurred at Pomona dated in 2016, 2018 and 2020. The recent fire incident occurred on the 18th of August 2020 released dense smog above the Standards Association of Zimbabwe and World Health Organization air pollution prescribed levels.
Sustainable waste management is a collective and inclusive goal. Raising environmental awareness is key towards capacitating everyone. Practice of the waste management hierarchy at individual and household level going upwards can transform the situation. The call is upon establishing recycling initiatives at all levels such as composting organic waste into manure to apply it in our gardens or yards at household level. Everyone’s effort is of great value as poor waste management effects spare no one.
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