Such a realisation and the decision to do something about it would not only render our now highly filthy country virtually litter-free, it would also help many earn the much sought after United States dollars in a decent manner.
This paper has for some time now been warning of the dire state of the environment in Zimbabwe.
Of major concern is the littering problem that has become so huge that even the city councils that had traditionally taken care of that area have since admitted that waste management is now too overwhelming for them to handle on their own.
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It was a cry that different interest groups responded to most positively.
I am sure most locals, being honest, will testify to constantly coming across one group or another clad in cleaning overalls going around picking up litter in many places.
In most cases the litter would look, and smell, extremely hazardous.
The sad news however is that in spite of all the effort, many have apparently decided to ignore the desperate calls for everyone to do their part in cleaning up as they continue to litter like there is no tomorrow.
Unfortunately, because our police do not seem to have a particular interest in environmental issues, many litterbugs continue to go scot-free.
Most of them are evidently unaware that littering is an offence that currently attracts a US$20 fine.
If we take Japan for instance, those people take recycling and reusing so seriously they have “garbage stations” everywhere, where residents must take their trash.
Nothing goes to waste and failing to sort out litter and taking it to the garbage centres is classified as an offence.
As a result, the country is clean and resources are saved.
Zimbabwe definitely needs to start investing in a similar model under which litter can be better managed.
Arundel School launches Recycling and Collection Centre
Littering has and continues to cause pollution, which poses a serious danger not only to our health but to that of the different aquatic life forms, among other effects.
Plastics, the worst kind of litter in rivers, are reported to be causing death and injury to hundreds of thousands of water-based species every year through swallowing and entanglement.
What this persistent littering tells about Zimbabweans, besides the fact that we are generally uncaring and we have turned into serious litterbugs, is that we generally lack creative energy and are slow in identifying ways to make some extra cash!
However, the initiatives by Arundel School in Harare need to be hailed.
The school’s Environment and Wildlife club, with sponsorship from Delta Corporation Limited, on October 17, officially launched the Arundel Recycling and Collection Centre, to provide a collection depot where people around the school community can put their separate material: cans, glass and paper.
The opening of the Arundel Recycling Centre means that waste previously disposed of at a dumpsite can be separated, collected and sent for recycling.
The girls believe that if their parents were to also get involved, word on the initiative would spread faster. The efforts by Arundel School are highly commendable and if they can do it, there really is no reason why it cannot be done on a larger scale, in the whole country.
Ironically, scruffy looking individuals that we often come across collecting recyclable litter, especially the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, are often regarded as vagrants when in fact it is these people who have brought some sort of relief to our overburdened landfills and bins.
Zimbabweans should invest more in cleaning up the country, and what better way than through recycling: a process that can generate some income, while saving on the little resources we have.
Recycling and reusing are the sure way to go. We cannot go wrong.
Thumbs up to the Arundel School girls! We would do well to follow their example.
Local recycling companies should consider increasing amounts paid for recyclable goods and provide more incentives for citizens to exercise more care when disposing of trash.
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