Last year, Habakkuk Trust Community Advocacy Action Team in Insiza District Ward 15 presented a position paper on solid waste management at a policy dialogue meeting organized by Habakkuk Trust in Filabusi Centre. The Action Team expressed concerns over general uncleanliness in the District’s service centre which they attributed to lack of street litter bins, lack of public toilets, inconsistent refuse collection schedule and poor management of the dumping site thereby exposing local people especially children to a health hazard. The Action Team also noted careless attitude of residents and businesses towards cleanliness which made littering to become a norm.
Following this, Insiza Rural District Council (IRDC) came up with an Environmental Action Plan to reduce the amount of littering in area which has seen the local authority purchasing litter bins and pushcarts.
In an interview, IRDC Environmental Management Officer Miss Nonhlanhla Moyo said the local authority has since started implementing its Environmental Action Plan in an effort to reduce littering and promote cleanliness in the area.
“We have purchased 12 litter bins which have been placed on the side of the roads and in Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle housing area to reduce littering. We have also bought 2 push carts which carries two litter bins each for refuse collection,” she said. “They are not enough but we will be working with that for now. We still need 10 more bins and a proper refuse collection vehicle.”
Insiza Ward 15 Action Team Convener Mr. Lameck Ndlovu said there was an improvement in solid waste disposal and refuse collection in the area.
“There is some notable change in waste management and we are happy the council has honoured its promise. As the Action Team we are yet to sell the cleanliness idea to the people so that the habit of throwing litter everywhere stops. People should come to understand the importance of using litter bins.”
Ndlovu said the Action Team is yet to embark on awareness campaigns, clean up campaigns and also urge community members to buy dustbins for domestic use to promote the culture of cleanliness.
HABAKKUK TIMES 