HARARE, Aug. 10 (NewsDay Live) — Local non-governmental organisation Practical Action Zimbabwe has created more than 400 green jobs in Harare’s Mabvuku and Tafara suburbs, helping residents earn incomes through waste collection and recycling.
The organisation, in partnership with the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), has established a multifunctional clean energy centre and integrated resource recovery facility in Tafara, where waste pickers deliver recyclable materials for sorting and resale and receive immediate payment.
Some waste pickers earn up to US$250 a month from the initiative.
Practical Action business, markets and finance expert Patience Samhutsa said the programme primarily targeted unemployed women, youths and people living with disabilities, providing them with income-generating opportunities and training in environmental management.
“We operate under the mantra ‘turning waste into wealth’ and hope to recruit as many as 1 000 waste pickers in the shortest possible future as part of our green energy campaign,” Samhutsa said.
The facility also provides free training in carpentry and welding, with able-bodied men among those taking up the skills development opportunities.
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Powered entirely by solar energy, the centre has become a training hub for residents seeking skills in cooking, welding, carpentry, detergent-making, dressmaking, information and communication technology and hairdressing.
Site manager Melissah Mhaka said 29 full-time employees currently work at the facility, sorting waste before selling it to clients including Geo Pomona Waste Management and other recycling companies.
“This project has transformed the lives of many residents in Mabvuku and Tafara, as many of them have now realised that there is wealth in waste,” Mhaka said.
She said transport had previously been a major challenge for waste collectors, but corporate support had helped ease the problem.
“We are also grateful to corporates such as Delta Corporation for giving us a truck, free of charge, once every week to collect waste from various drop-off points to our main centre in Tafara. Their intervention has helped us a lot since our waste collectors used to face transport challenges,” Mhaka said.
The project is now seeking to move beyond collection and sorting into on-site value addition, which Mhaka said would enable residents to earn better returns from recyclable materials.
Practical Action said its longer-term goal was to expand participation in the programme while promoting renewable energy, environmental sustainability and livelihoods in the two high-density suburbs.