Bulawayo should rethink waste disposal

News
THERE is a rather alarming mushrooming of illegal waste dumps and an increase in the illegal burning of rubbish in Bulawayo’s residential areas.

THERE is a rather alarming mushrooming of illegal waste dumps and an increase in the illegal burning of rubbish in Bulawayo’s residential areas.

Illegal waste dumps are a major concern because they pose significant threats to public health in the long run, especially because they are in residential areas.

These dumps are unsightly; they are smelly and a breeding site for vectors like houseflies and disease-causing bacteria.

As these waste dumps decompose, they release hazardous substances and heavy metals that contaminate the soil and groundwater.

Non-biodegradable materials like plastics also leach out into the soil and water.

At sufficiently high concentrations, some of these contaminants are endocrine disruptors while some are carcinogenic.

Heavy metal poisoning may cause various health problems ranging from cancer to mental retardation in children.

During the rainy season, runoff water also picks up material from the illegal waste dumps resulting in clogging of the drainage systems.

The inefficient burning of residential waste releases soot, methane, particulate matter and other hazardous substances into the atmosphere.

These substances may lead to respiratory diseases like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and lung cancer with time. Additionally, they exacerbate air pollution and global warming.

There is dire need for residents, local authorities and the concerned statutory government bodies to collectively assess and act on the safe disposal of household waste in Bulawayo.

Based on waste audits from previous years, residential waste consists of biodegradable food leftovers, biodegradable plant wastes, plastic wraps, plastic bottles, paper, glass and other miscellaneous items.

At least 60% of all this waste can be recycled.

Biodegradable rubbish can be composted and the rest can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.

The government needs to develop waste recycling sites, whereby residents can sort their waste into recyclables and have Bulawayo City Council pick it up, or set up easily accessible neighbourhood bins where residents can drop off recyclables.

The local authority collects waste at least once every fortnight and I strongly urge residents to use bins, card boxes, or sacks to store their non-recyclable and non-biodegradable waste before collection by council.

It costs local authorities less if residents co-operate with legal waste dumping as compared to having the council clean up illegal dumps.

There is need for increased public awareness about illegal waste disposal.

Moreover, there is need for individuals to consider the aggregate and cumulative exposure to various hazardous substances like pesticide residues in our food, chemicals in cosmetics, pollutants from traffic and fires, water contaminants and other sources that we subject ourselves to daily.

There is need for the public to work together with the government in initiating more environmentally friendly practices for the sake of public health and environmental stability.

Appropriate household waste disposal is very important.