The growing piles of illegally dumped solid waste near houses and open spaces in urban areas of Zimbabwe provide overwhelming evidence that solid waste management systems are failing to copy with increasing volumes of solid waste being generated. Refuse collection efficiency by urban councils in Zimbabwe has dropped from 80 percent in mid 1990s to as low as 30 percent in 2006.
Poor solid waste management in Zimbabwe urban councils has been worsened by a decade of economic challenges which culminated in cholera and other related diseases.
A research study was carried out between October 2012 and June 2013 for 32 urban councils in Zimbabwe in assessing the extent and challenges of solid waste collection, transportation, sanitary disposal and financial sustainability. It revealed that 64.3± 27.6 percent of the properties in Zimbabwe urban councils are covered by municipal solid waste management services. The collection of solid waste was 63.9± 27 percent. This was below international best practices of proper solid waste management, this was attributed to shortage landfill equipment, human resources and shortage of proper receptacles. Recycling strategies seemed non- existent, 2 percent recovery of solid waste by informal waste pickers and unsorted waste at landfills results that 99 percent of urban councils landfills we’re not sanitary.
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is generally defined as waste generated from homes, street sweeping, industries, institutions and commercial areas which needs to be collected by or on behalf of local authorities. Proper solid waste management involves waste characterization, waste minimization, sorting, recycling, reuse, collection and disposal of non recyclable waste in engineered landfills. Waste characterization involves reducing the generation of waste in homes and industries. Waste minimization is very important in that it reduces quantum of waste that need to be collected, reducing the collection and disposal costs. Sorting influences recycling, recovery of materials and energy recovery. Solid waste must be sorted at household level into recyclable and inert materials.
Disposing waste in the landfills is regarded as the last resort in proper solid waste management. All the waste that cannot be com posted , recycled or reused should be deposited in the landfill. Landfills should be able to hold waste until they are stable and inert to prevent harm to the public health and the environment.
There is need to improve efficiency in collection of solid waste, improve of recycling and sanitary disposal of waste, financial performance of urban council need to improve and urban authorities must put in place sound and efficient machinery and human resource base. Corruption in councils must be routed out to make room for efficient management of urban councils in Zimbabwe.
