Lusaka Central MP cleans Bauleni trash

LUSAKA Central member of Parliament Margaret Mwanakatwe has launched cleaning of waste from the Bauleni dumpsite in an effort to prevent any epidemic outbreak like cholera.

Ms. Mwanakatwe launched the cleaning yesterday in partnership with the Cleaning Association of Zambia (CAZ) and the Lusaka City Council (LCC).

She said the exercise is aimed at bringing the level of cleanliness that is going to be user friendly especially to the people who live near the dumpsite, which is close to the clinic and the site earmarked for proposed construction of a mini hospital.

Ms. Mwanakatwe said she and her two partners are considering ways of ensuring that Bauleni residents earn money from waste recycling by turning the dumpsite into a waste aggregation site.

“When I see this I see money from plastic bottles and somebody is already making organic fertiliser from here. We are zoning this area through the council and we are going to ensure garbage collectors who use wheelbarrows are given one zone. They have already formed a cooperative so that they can bring rubbish from people’s homes in an orderly manner,” Ms. Mwanakatwe said and thanked the CAZ and LCC for their valid support.

And CAZ president Lawrence Makumbi said his association, being private sector driven, will work closely with Ms. Mwanakatwe to ensure the constituency is cleaned.

Mr. Makumbi said the CAZ will form a company that will be buying aggregated trash from Bauleni and create cash for the people.

He said starting form yesterday, more than 250 tons of trash would be moved from the Bauleni dumpsite to the Chunga dumpsite daily for the 10 days.

Meanwhile, LCC cleansing manager Kachikoti Banda says the local authority is building momentum on its ambitious plan to create a waste aggregation site and that Bauleni compound is on its top to ensure residents earn a living through waste recycling.

He called on Bauleni residents to cooperate with LCC in keeping Lusaka clean and green