Businesses urged to install pavement bins
BUSINESSES are supposed to have bins outside their premises and if they do not comply, will be fined and the shop risks being closed, Government has said.
On Friday, Greater Harare Association Commuter Omnibus Organisation (GHACO), one of the two main licensed groupings of kombi owners in the city, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and the City of Harare, held a clean-up campaign at Market Square in Harare.
GHACO provided 40 bins for the City of Harare to put within each registered terminus in the city centre to eradicate the illegal dumping of waste.
Harare Metropolitan Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Cde Charles Tawengwa urged people to integrate the endeavour for a clean environment as an inherent element of the society. The same mindset should be seen in individual households, where a prevailing culture of tidiness should prevail, achieved through the reduction, recycling, or reuse of waste.
“Our collective effort in producing a clean environment should be an intrinsic part of our society. I implore you to cascade this attitude to household level where a culture of cleanliness should dominate, by reducing, recycling or reusing the waste.
“It is possible to generate biogas for household cooking at your backyard as a sustainable use of waste. On a national scale, the efforts of Geo Pomona Pvt Ltd to convert waste to money do not go unnoticed,” said the minister.
He emphasized the importance of embracing the national mantra that a nation is built by its people. “As we take heed of His Excellency’s mantra nyika inovakwa neve vayo, I am reminding you that not anyone from Jupiter or Mars will come to make a clean environment for you.
“This task lies squarely on us, and I call you for a collective effort. Therefore, I challenge local authorities first, let us not put the life of our citizenry at stake by exposure to a filthy environment, remember this is your mandate. Politics aside the President’s reiterative call is on improved service delivery, let’s judiciously march to the rhythm of the call,” he said.
The Minister applauded interventions made by the association of bus operators in cleaning bus terminuses.
“Allow me at this juncture to applaud efforts made by GHACO who have taken the initiative of donating 40 bins across all bus terminuses in the central business district.
“This bins have been installed at Market Square, Copacabana, Charge Office, Simon Muzenda Street and Julia Zvobgo Street,” he said.
GHACO secretary general, Mr Ngoni Katsvairo said they will continue embarking on clean-up campaigns at most of the ranks in and around the city.
“As part of our corporate social responsibility as GHACO we decided to join in the call by Government to keep our city and country clean. We, therefore, will be embarking on clean-up campaigns of our work places which are the ranks that our kombis operate from.
“In that regard we have donated 40 pole bins and we will continue to donate until all ranks have been adequately resourced with bins and we hope to upgrade our ranks with street lights and shelters as well,” he said.