LACK of information on proper waste disposal has significantly contributed to the piling up of garbage in Harare’s high density suburb and there is need to educate people on how to manage waste through separation at source, an official with the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has said.
PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI
EMA acting director Steady Kangata said his organisation was promoting the “cradle to the grave policy” that obligates manufacturers to monitor the flow of their products on the market to the time that they are disposed of.
“Under this policy, companies such as Delta should collect all the waste, package their materials and recycle them.
“We are also encouraging telecommunications companies to use hot recharge instead of recharge cards,” he said.
Kangata said the burning of items such as kaylites, used for serving food in supermarkets and restaurants would be prohibited because they cause significant air pollution.
“The major problem we have at the moment is that we are mixing waste.
“If there is separation at source, then the companies that would have produced the products will take those that are recyclable and we wouldn’t have the problem of too much waste,” he said. Kangata said they were encouraging individuals not to illegally dispose of biodegradable materials, but to use them for composts. “Rotting materials should not be on dumpsites.
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“They should be used on home composts and used as organic manure,” he said.
Kangata said after the adoption of Zim Asset — which makes demands on every parastatal to effectively address its priority areas — EMA has flag-posted waste management in the country as its top priority.
“Harare’s central business district is a priority area for us because of the worrisome trend where the whole town is converted into one big market at night without a proper waste management system in the morning,” he said.
The Harare City Council’s failure to collect refuse in high density suburbs has forced residents to dump rubbish on illegal dumpsites, creating conducive conditions for the breeding of pathogens.
