LUSAKA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Miles Sampa, Mayor of Lusaka, the Zambian capital on Wednesday shocked residents when he shifted his office to the Central Business District (CBD) in an effort to combat the ever-increasing problem of uncollected garbage in the city.
The mayor, who placed a marque, which he is using as an office in one of the busy roads, said the purpose of shifting his office was to personally supervise council workers in charge of picking up garbage.
"I have moved my office to CBD to personally supervise LCC (Lusaka City Council) workers picking up garbage. Our records show huge expense on fuel collecting garbage but the impact on the ground is hardly seen," he wrote on his Facebook page.
He added that he will be based in the CBD 24-hours to ensure that mountains of garbage littered all over are cleared and promised that "CBD has and will be garbage-free".
Pictures posted on social media show the mayor busy supervising garbage collection by council workers.
Residents have expressed mixed reactions to the mayor's decision to personally supervise garbage collection with others questioning whether this is a sustainable way.
"It will be impossible to sit and wait on these people every day to collect garbage, what is needed is a permanent solution," Thelma Temba, a street vendor in the CBD said.
But Benson Sakala blamed the local authority for the filth in the city, saying there is a need for tough measures on unnecessary dumping of garbage.
"They need to come up with tough laws such as jailing anyone found throwing litter anyhow," Sakala, a minibus driver said.
Indeed, the problem of poor garbage collection in the city is evident as mountains of uncollected garbage are visible not only in the CBD but even in residential areas, especially densely populated residential areas.
This is despite a number of initiatives to ensure that the city is clean such as contracting private firms as garbage collectors.
Indeed, like many developing countries, Zambia has not been spared by environmental challenges such as proper disposal of waste, especially in urban areas.
Authorities in Zambia have tried to come up with various measures to deal with the problem but so far nothing seems to be working.
In June 2007, the then government introduced the Make Zambia Clean and Healthy campaign but to date, the garbage collection situation in most towns leaves much to be desired.
However, recent efforts by the private sector to step and help control the situation seem to have brought a glimmer of hope.
Zambia Breweries Plc, the country's main brewer, is currently implementing a waste management and recycling project called Manja Pamodzi (hands together) aimed at making the country clean.
The project, being implemented with local authorities, involves encouraging people in residential areas to participate due to the financial benefits that come with it.
The project involves a three-tier approach in which people pick plastic bottles and opaque beer packs which are later sold to recycling firms which in turn sell them to the brewer.
Under the project, the brewer identifies people to pick the bottles who are later trained on the hygienic aspect of conducting their work. The people are then linked to recycling companies.
The recyclable materials are sold to processing companies which add value by turning the waste into pellets granulates for sale or make finished products such as plastic cups, chairs, and egg trays for sale.
On the other hand, Prudence Siabana, a local journalist, has embarked on a collection of plastic waste materials in an effort to keep her environment clean.
She said she was inspired to embark on the initiative by two women from two residential areas in the city involved in the collection of bottles for purpose of recycling during her tour of duty.
"The plastic waste recycling initiative by Zambia Breweries is helping keep the environment clean and at the same time creating employment as well as business opportunities for not only the two women I interviewed but many others too," she wrote in an article published on the Manja Pamodzi Facebook page.
Indeed, keeping the environment clean requires concerted efforts of all stakeholders, including individuals. Change of mindset will be key if the country is to win the war against irresponsible waste disposal behavior.
This year, the World Consumer Day, which falls on March 15, will be held under the theme "Tackling Plastic Pollution", signifying the importance of the need for effective waste management programs.
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) World Consumer Day National Committee Chairperson Shunga Williams said the disposal of plastic materials is still a challenge as it poses serious harm to the environment. Enditem
