Council admits garbage collection failure

REFUSE collection will remain a thorn in the flesh for Harare residents as on every working day only half the 36 garbage trucks needed are operational, and city residents are confirmed litterbugs.

In his end of year first quarter report, Mayor Jacob Mafume said waste management remained a major challenge in the city and was getting worse.

He said this was largely due to low fleet availability and the culture of inherent littering by residents of Harare.

“In the first quarter of 2023 fleet availability remained depressed with an average of 18 trucks per day which is not ideal considering that we require 36 refuse compactors per day. The situation is very gloomy, but we choose hope hence the decision to buy 15 refuse compactors in the 2023 fiscal year,” he said.

Mayor Mafume said door-to-door refuse collection coverage stood at 42 percent, which was a decrease of 10 percent as of 31st December 2022 as result of decrease in fleet availability.

He also conceded the flopping of the much hyped “Operation Chenesa Harare”, an initiative which was meant to mobilise communities and corporates to participate in cleaning up the city.

“However, this initiative did not yield the anticipated results and the city is now planning to implement community-based refuse collection as a broader strategy to ensure that we deal with the challenge of illegal dumpsites and also improve on collection efficiency,” he said.

Mayor Mafume said in line with the integrated solid waste management plan, the city is constructing waste transfer stations and the main one at Kelvin Depot will be completed in the second quarter of the year.

He said construction of the one in Glen Norah will be done again in the second quarter.

“The problem of waste management is perennial, but in all these circumstances we choose hope and we have a firm belief in the fact that this challenge can be solved.

“Recapitalisation of the Amenities Division is key and various pieces of plant and equipment are being procured this year. We still believe that Harare must work, hence the mantra back to basics for sustainable service delivery,” he said.