Waste management has become one of the environmental challenges that the country is facing. Thousands of tonnes of solid waste are generated daily in the country and estimates show that in the year 2011 urban centres of Zimbabwe generated 1,65 million tonnes of waste. Increased packaging of consumer goods has not only increased the quantities of waste but also the varieties of waste generated, further complicating the problem for urban local authorities.

This therefore calls on all of us to join hands and take corrective action to reverse this unpleasant situation.

The waste management challenge that the country is faced with requires stakeholder participation and Community Based Organisations have come on board as a key stakeholder.

These groups are involved in clean-up activities and awareness campaigns, waste separation and supplying recycling companies with different types of waste, making artefacts from various types of waste and the collection biodegradable waste for use in nutritional gardens.

This does not only reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills but also sustains community livelihoods.

What are community based organisations?

Community Based Organisations (CBOs) are community groups of size ranging from 7 to 20 who are involved in environmental management projects.

When the concept started, in the early 2000s, volunteers came together to do clean-up activities and awareness campaigns. With the realisation that there is ‘money in waste’ most groups are now earning a living from such projects.

Other groups separate the waste for sell to recycling companies, others collect various types of waste and make artefacts whilst others collect biodegradable waste for use in nutritional gardens, thus reducing the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills and sustaining community livelihoods.

The Environmental Management Agency has registered over seventy such groups countrywide and such groups are still welcome to registered with the agency.

When the concept was adopted by the agency, most groups were involved in awareness and clean up campaigns (advocacy).

The agency then added value to these groups by including a livelihood sustenance component under the theme “Converting trash to cash”.

Who can form a CBO?

CBOs are community groups made up of individuals who have passion for the environment and voluntarily come together with the same objective of managing their physical environment.

EMA requires that these organisations be made up of at least 15 individuals including men, women, and youths drawn from the local community.

However, various scenarios exist on the ground. Some groups are smaller, some have adopted these activities as entrepreneurial avenues, whilst others have actually moved from being community organisations to business units.

Why the CBO approach

EMA having identified the potential that CBOs have especially in waste management has mobilised over 70 community groups to partake in such activities.

Waste Management in the Local Environmental Action Planning (LEAP) programme was identified as a challenge to all urban areas.

The problem of waste management has significantly affected the country and the authorities responsible cannot manage it alone hence the engagement of communities in waste management.

Any interested groups can register with the Agency and submit their work plans. The groups are also required to establish committees and develop constitutions that will govern their activities. Some CBOs, especially in Harare are now registered as Trusts.

What is EMA’s role in CBO activities?

The Agency capacitates CBOs through training, provision of protective clothing, equipment and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) development.

EMA has also through a number of workshops created linkages with recycling companies, NGOs and other stakeholders whose activities affect CBO operations.

CBO activities are closely monitored by the agency to ensure compliance to the law and safe handling of waste.

CBO activities

CBO activities in relation to waste management include awareness and clean up campaigns, manure for use in backyard and nutritional gardens, production of artefacts for sale using various types of waste, plastic and scrap metal collection and selling, plastic and paper recycling, production of petroleum based products such as candles and floor polish among others.

Livelihood benefit from waste

Waste management has proved to be a viable livelihood option to some CBOs especially those that are into plastic recycling. Examples of these are Chitungwiza Polymer Wax which collects and recycles plastics for the production of products as floor polish, candles, shoe polish, hardener and paraffin.

The group was established initially in Murewa in 2004 and moved to Harare as a result of the lack of raw material (plastic) in Murehwa.

The CBO mainly collects plastic waste; when demand is high plastic is purchased at 40c per kg, selling floor polish has proved to be viable as they sell 20 litres of floor polish at $45-$50 depending on the market.

Twenty litres of floor polish is made from 20kgs of plastic waste. Another Chitungwiza based CBO, M&M Boston involved in plastic collection, sorting and recycling, collects on average 1.8 tonnes per week of plastic waste and gets $2 000-$2 500 per month as income through selling pellets.

Plastic containers (dishes, buckets, cooler boxes) are shred, made into pellets and sold to such companies as Pipe Industries that are into the production of irrigation pipes; OMP which is into bucket production and some Chinese companies who are biggest buyers. You also can make a difference in your community in your own small way, collectively our efforts make a difference.

Reduce, recycle, re-use-Keep Zimbabwe Clean.

 Please talk to us we are always ready to listen. Email: [email protected] or 04 305543 / Toll free 08080028, sms/whatsapp 0779565 707, Like our Facebook Page- Environmental Management Agency or follow us on Twitter @EMAeep.

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