HARARE – Harare city garbage woes continue to persist with several of the capital’s suburbs plagued by illegal dumping sites that could potentially lead to an outbreak of waterborne diseases such as Typhoid and Cholera, in the wake of recent heavy rains.
The municipality has since hinted at climate smart and sustainable waste management methods in light of continued environmental harm.
Council has reportedly been failing to collect refuse in suburbs such as Mufakose, Warren Park, Warren Park D, Kuwadzana and White Cliff to mention but a few resulting in heaps of garbage piling in certain open spaces.
The CBD has also not been spared with the influx of vendors that dispose of litter anywhere and anyhow.
Harare City acting spokesperson Innocent Ruwende said they were looking into sustainable waste management methods while admitting to facing challenges because of the depleted refuse collection fleet.
He said the new strategic methods of refuse collection were centered on the prevention and reduction of waste at the production, packaging and consumption stages of the chain.
“We are moving away from the traditional refuse management systems which consist of a simple process whereby we collect and transport waste and dispose of it at selected waste disposal sites, this refuse collection, transport and disposal approach is not financially and environmentally sustainable as well as it is expensive.
“Many cities and towns especially in high-income countries have since abandoned this model and have shifted to a more efficient integrated solid waste management model. That is where we are going as a city.
“The model comprises a set of waste treatment methods and strategies whose main objective is to prevent, or reduce as much as possible, the generation of solid waste, to divert as much waste as possible from landfilling and improve the efficiency in solid waste management,” said Ruwende.
“Currently our refuse collection fleet is hovering around 21 against a requirement of 50.
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), programmes manager Rueben Akili however, castigated for failing to prioritize service delivery.
“The continued non collection of refuse by the City of Harare is emanating from lack of prioritizing service delivery.
“We have a local authority that spends on football/soccer at the expense of service delivery. As CHRA we still hold to our position that action must be taken to recover 15 refuse compactors that were purchased in 2016 but until now those trucks have not been delivered.
“The non-collection of refuse is a serious management issue that should be addressed in our local authority. The continued piling of waste and emergency of illegal dump sites poses a serious health threat especially in High density areas where many people reside,” noted Akili.
