Talent Gore
ZIMBABWE is moving to declare solid waste management a State of Disaster, with plans to establish modern waste management facilities across all 92 local authorities as the country intensifies efforts to improve refuse collection, promote recycling and generate electricity from waste.
Local Government and Public Works Permanent Secretary Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti said the proposed declaration would enable authorities to take decisive action to address the country’s waste management challenges, with the Geo Pomona Waste Management model providing a blueprint for the nationwide rollout.
Speaking during a familiarisation tour of the Geo Pomona facility by representatives from all 92 local authorities, Eng Muguti said President Mnangagwa had approved the Presidential Household Waste Management Programme, under which every household would receive a metal bin to improve refuse collection.
“What that means is that, as Government, we are moving to ensure that every local authority has a state-of-the-art facility,” he said.
“We have gone beyond the point of debate. When the President declares something a national project, we roll it out.
“I am happy to say that this is the beginning of the rollout of the Geo Pomona waste management project to the remaining 91 local authorities.”
Eng Muguti said the programme was part of broader efforts to restore orderly waste management practices while creating opportunities for recycling and energy generation.
He said the household bin initiative would help the country reclaim the high standards of refuse collection and disposal it maintained in the past.
Special Advisor to the President on Waste Management and Environmental Sustainability and Geo Pomona Waste Management chief executive and executive chairman Dr Dilesh Nguwaya and Minister of Skills Audit and Development Dr Jenfan Muswere pose for a photograph after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at promoting skills development and knowledge transfer, empowering young people with practical skills for the future at Geo Pomona Waste Management Site in Harare yesterday. — Picture : Charles Muchakagara
“You saw the bins. Every household in Zimbabwe is going to be given a bin to accelerate the project, because that is how we operated back in 1980, when we had some of the best standards of solid waste management,” he said.
Eng Muguti said there is potential to generate more than 2 000 megawatts of electricity from waste, creating an opportunity to turn the country’s waste burden into an energy resource.
Geo Pomona Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dr Dilesh Nguwaya, who is also the Special Advisor to the President on Waste Management and Environmental Sustainability, said the company was ready to extend its waste management solutions to cities and towns across the country.
“We are excited to have representatives from all 92 local authorities at our waste management site for a familiarisation tour,” he said.
“This demonstrates the confidence that Government and local authorities have in our project. We are going to expand it into a national waste management programme covering every city.”
Kwekwe town clerk Dr Lucia Mkandla said the Geo Pomona project aligned with the country’s Vision 2030 agenda.
“We used to think these facilities were only available abroad, but you have transformed our perception as a nation, changing our thinking and approach to waste management as we work towards becoming an upper-middle-income economy by 2030,” she said.
“This gives us confidence that we are moving in the right direction. We are ready to start working with Geo Pomona.”
Source: Zim moves to declare waste management State of Disaster – herald
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