A RISING garbage dump on the outskirts of Chikangwe high-density suburb in the farming town of Karoi is turning into a thriving sustainable livelihood hub for 17 volunteers, who include 10 women.
Their daily routine is to meticulously sort the garbage dumped there by council refuse trucks.
A pilot zero waste industry was set up through a consortium of three enterprises — Chenai Projects Group, Johsem Waste Solutions and Chima-Kashiri Metal Waste and Scrap, making a difference in the environment and waste management of the site.
Chenai targets composting organic waste, community education on zero waste, with Johsem Waste Solutions tackling recovery of recyclable resources from commercial entities, bailing, chipping and marketing, while Chima-Kashiri is into recovery of metal waste, timber scrap, construction debris, glass and rubber, among others.
Celebrating International Zero Waste Day on March 30, 2024 as part of the global mission on waste management, Zimbabwe Zero Waste Consortium chairperson Never Gariromo said: “We joined the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) in 2018 and by 2020, we were part of the Global Alliance on Incinerator Alternatives that subscribes to the Zero Waste International Alliance.
“In 2021, the ZWIA members petitioned the United Nations Environmental Programme to consider adopting the zero waste concept as the only sustainable strategy directly contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The petition was reviewed and on December 14, 2022, the UN adopted zero waste as a key driver to attainment of the SDGs.”
The Environmental Management Agency trained over 6 000 community members on recycling as a business.
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United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres has called for a holistic approach to make zero waste a reality.
“Governments at all levels must build circular economies that address resource depletion and management, and invest in modern waste-management programmes anchored on reuse, recovery and waste prevention.
“On this Zero Waste Day, let’s pledge to end the destructive cycle of waste, once and for all,” Guterres said in a statement marking International Zero Waste Day.
Globally, humanity produces more than two billion tonnes of municipal solid waste including rotting food, plastic bottles, chemical-laced electronics and many more materials tossed away without regard for water, land and air, according to the UN boss.
