400 Garbage collectors receive protective clothing
OVER 400 garbage collectors at Chunga dumpsite in Lusaka have received protective clothing provided by Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) in collaboration with five other collecting companies.
ZEMA had banned the garbage collectors from Chunga Landfill for the past two weeks, complementing government’s efforts in the cleaning of Lusaka City to contain the cholera outbreak that hit the country.
Speaking during the official handover ceremony that was held at the dumpsite, ZEMA manager for Corporate Affairs, Irene Chipili said the gesture was aimed at ensuring that the health of the waste collectors was protected.
Ms Chipili explained that ZEMA had reached a decision to allow waste collectors back to the site only for a short period to collect products that were readily available for recycling.
“We issued an order to stop any picking activities on January 8, around this area because we wanted to complement government efforts in the cleaning exercise.
“We wanted to prevent a situation where waste that is being cleaned from the city and dropped here for disposal did not end up back into the community,” she said.
Ms Chipili said ZEMA was mindful that over 400 individuals’ livelihood depended on waste collection and that during this ban, their lives had been affected.
“As a regulator, we want to make sure that sustainable waste management is promoted here at the site and as a result a decision has been made and the immediate intervention is that we are going to allow waste that was already sorted out before that order was given by ZEMA,” she said.
Ms Chipili said ZEMA had registered over 400 collectors, adding that five companies had come forward as waste collectors to work with the individuals.
“The companies we are working with are Manja Pamodzi, San Yuah, Xing Huo, Adil Investment, and L & N Matrix,” she said.
Ms Chipili explained that ZEMA was going to work closely with Lusaka City Council and companies like Manja Pamodzi to ensure that any form of waste picking at the dumpsite was properly coordinated.
She said the company would ensure that garbage collectors had protective clothing to safeguard their health as well as other environmental hazards in the area.
Ms Chipili said they would work with the council to ensure that the dumpsite had basic facilities put in place.