Integrated waste management to change face of cities

---Enhancing recycling as a business

VIOLET MENGO

 Lusaka

MANAGEMENT of solid waste in the country remains a big challenge as most of it that generated from some sectors of the economy is currently not well managed. 

According to Ministry of Local Government and Housing (MLGH) report of 2011, it is estimated that only about 10 percent of urban areas in Zambia are serviced with solid waste collection.

Indeed, littering, uncollected garbage and indiscriminate dumping of waste are other major concerns that show lack of proper waste management in the country. You can add to that the improper handling of hazardous wastes and low standard of operational disposal sites.

However, there is a global concern that, apart from problems associated with hygiene, waste contributes to global warming and climate change through huge amounts of greenhouse gases (GHG) it emits into the atmosphere.

Zambia’s waste generation potential has been growing against the static solid waste and waste water management infrastructures.

To address this challenge, Government in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has proposed the establishment of an integrated waste management system.

The system will involve treatment of solid waste in mechanical biological treatment (MBT) with anaerobic digesters for methane harvesting from solid waste and sludge digesters with membranes for methane capturing in wastewater, as a project activity between 2017 and 2030.

The methane collected will be used as fuel in gas engine to generate electricity.

Under what is called the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMAs), the project will also promote waste separation at source and enhance recycling as a business.

example of integrated waste management

The NAMA project is proposed to be undertaken in four most densely populated and industrialised cities; Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola and Livingstone.

Approximately US$126, 045, 571 will be invested in the project, which is expected to be recovered through the sale of recycled materials and electricity. It will be financed through a NAMA financing facility based in Berlin, Germany.

Low Emission Capacity Building Programme project manager for Zambia Hartley Walimwipi told a panel discussion in Marrakech Morocco, during the twenty second session of Conference of Parties (COP22) that the NAMAs are aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emission.

Mr Walimwipi said that the NAMA’s also target to contribute to minimising the global adverse environmental impacts while achieving economic development, improved service delivery and community heath by introducing and promoting the use of appropriate technologies, systems, operational frameworks and practices in waste management.

NAMA aims to increase the collection and disposal of municipal solid waste up to 18 percent in the four cities of Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola and Livingstone.

“It also targets to promote the practice of solid waste segregation so that 90 percent of recyclable materials are recovered at source and the business of recycling is enhanced,” Mr Mwalimwipi said.

The project, expected to start in 2017, will by 2020 develop biogas recovery infrastructure for electricity generation at each of the mechanical waste water treatment plants in Lusaka, Kitwe and Ndola.

It will also improve solid water treatment, disposal and greenhouse gas emission reduction in the four selected cities through development of MBT and anaerobic digestion infrastructure for biogas capture to generate electricity.

Before implementation of the NAMAs, there will be public awareness on the need to improve waste. Capacity will also be built in the local authorities, commercial utilities and other private sector actors such as financial institutions.

It will also lead to the establishing of policies to build a supportive environment for the selected technologies.

Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources permanent secretary Trevor Kaunda says the NAMA will be implemented in line with the national policies particularly the Vision 2030 which has outlined very specific targets on waste management and the medium term revised Sixth National Development Plan which runs from 2011 to 2016.

The establishment of the NAMA involved a number of sectors including both private and public such as the Ministries of Local Government, Energy, Environment, Water, Commerce trade and Industry and Finance and National Planning.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) states that NAMAs are to be taken in a measurable, reportable and verifiable manner. Therefore, once the implementation of the NAMA starts, measurable reporting and verification will be carried out by local institution that will be appointed.

Mr Kaunda says the implementation of NAMA activities have the potential to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from municipal solid waste of 0.86, 1.2 and 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2020, 2025 and 2030 respectively. 

On the other hand, the greenhouse gases mitigation potential for wastewater is 26.3, 30.5 and 38.8 thousand tonnes of CO2e by 2020, 2025 and 2030.

The execution of the NAMA is expected to help change people’s perception and indeed how waste will be managed in the country; it will help minimise or eliminate certain practices such as open burning of waste and dumping.

Unlike the case now, waste will be considered as a resource through the promotion of value chain.

In turn there will be increased participation of the private sector through the promotion of the recycling business.

The NAMA will contribute to renewable energy in the energy mix and create jobs.

Besides transforming the waste sector towards a less carbon intensive development path through avoiding greenhouse gas emissions from dumpsites, NAMA provides alternative and clean energy. It also showcases potential investment opportunities in the waste sector especially for the private sector and leads to improved livelihood and job creation.