A Swedish donor agency official has expressed concern over Africa’s slow adoption of waste recycling, describing it as a missed economic opportunity.Speaking during a “Brown Bag” conference organized by the Community Water Alliance (CWA) on Wednesday, We Effect programmes manager Elijah Rusike lamented the continent’s lag in embracing recycling initiatives.“Africa has been slow in waste recycling. We were a little bit late. Let us be innovative and take waste not as litter but as money because waste pays,” Rusike challenged.Meanwhile, the Community Water Alliance is supporting a group of women in Harare’s high-density suburb of Glen View who have ventured into a waste recycling business.CWA’s national coordinator, Goodlife Mudzingwa, announced that the organisation has set aside resources to help the women grow their initiative.“I would like to announce that we have already budgeted for a truck to help you in your work and we are also finalising a business plan which will also propose for an accounting software that will enhance transparency and accountability in your business,” said Mudzingwa.He added that the organisation will also install solar power and a borehole at the business premises to improve operations.The support is is coming from SIDA through We Effect under the Civsam program.A representative from the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, Mr.
Ernest Chimboza, encouraged the women to register as a cooperative to enable them to access funding.The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) will support the project by providing colour-coded bins for every household in Glen View to ease the sorting and collection of recyclable waste.One of the off-takers of the recycling business, Chigubhu Lantern, pledged to purchase more of the recycled materials.The event, which was also attended by delegates from the Harare City Council, comes at a time when many urban local authorities are struggling with waste management. The Glen View women’s initiative, backed by the Community Water Alliance, offers a promising grassroots solution to this persistent challenge.
Source: Express Mail Zim
