“Government should invest more in recycling through assisting small players in the sector to have necessary equipment,” said the Managing Director of Plastix Incorporated, Mary Wazara during a recent conference on waste management and recycling in the capital. She said her company had come up with colour-coded bins that showed what type of waste to throw into which bin.
“We have poly-harvesters, people who move around collect plastic bottles for sale to recyclers and it is important to promote a culture of knowing which materials are recyclable and which ones decompose,” she said.
Wazara said the issue of waste management was not only for local authorities and government but it was every citizen’s duty to add value to litter.
Environment Africa spokesperson Sandra Gobvu said private players such as network service providers and beverage companies should invest in waste management as their used airtime cards, empty cans and bottles contributed significantly to the pollution of the environment.
“It would be good for private players to invest in promoting waste management of their packaging materials by funding provision of machinery to small-scale recycling players or donating bins. The recycling of paper, tin and other materials besides plastic is lagging behind,” she said.
Meanwhile, HCC Town Clerk Tendai Mahachi said the city was engaging kombi operators to raise awareness on waste management among commuters.
“The kombi operators carry about 1, 5 million people a day and it would be wise to equip each kombi with a bin. Before they leave the terminus kombi drivers would urge commuters not to litter the streets while in the bus or even when they are in the city or at home,” he said.
Mahachi said council has since donated 2,430 litter bins to public service vehicle.
Post published in: News