The City of Bulawayo recently endorsed an anti-littering policy, which comes into effect immediately.
The Sunday News reported that the policy will result in strict enforcement of anti-littering by-laws among other interventions.
According to a report by the local authority, a growing population, a rise in illegal vending, the subdivision of business premises, and a lack of resources both human and material are some of the factors contributing to the accumulation of litter in the city. Part of the report reads:
Immediate action has to be taken to restore the city to its former glory as everyone has a nostalgia for the yester clean city.
It is indeed easy to talk of a clean city that we had back then however, it is more important now to interrogate the past to establish the then enablers for a clean city so as to fully understand the causes of rampant littering.
Until the early 1990s, the City of Bulawayo was regarded as the cleanest city in the region.
The city was characterised by litter-free streets, few illegal dumping spots and people who prided themselves in a clean city.
At present, littering and dumping of refuse continue unabated in almost all areas of the city. The need to have a clean city can never be over-emphasised.
Some of the measures spelled out in the policy are as follows:
increasing the number of refuse compactors
replacing the ageing supervisory vehicles fleet to improve supervision of refuse collection
street sweeping
monitoring of illegal dumping hotspots
increase staffing levels
intensify waste education and stakeholder engagement
improve enforcement
increase the number of litter bins
The Bulawayo City Council said a clean city attracts investors, and promotes ecotourism, as well as public safety.
In other news – Climate change affecting Lake Kariba
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says climate change has affected Lake Kariba as seen in ever-decreasing water levels annually.
A drop in water levels has seen Zimbabwe and Zambia cutting down hydroelectricity generation.Learn More
