THE plan by Lusaka Mayor Wilson Kalumba to compel Lusaka residents to pay some amount daily through airtime deductions is an interesting proposal.
I say so because the proposal has not given detail of how the whole process would be managed hence the mixed reactions it has received from the people.
Anyway, I do not understand why managing garbage should continue to be a challenge to the local authorities when there are by laws and other legal frameworks like the Environmental Management Act (EMA) of 2011 that can help to police the matter.
Under part four of EMA, the environmental protection and pollution control Division four deals with waste management.
This section of the law looks at the interpretation, general prohibition and duty of care, waste licences and role of local authorities in waste management.
The section also covers the designation of waste control areas, extended producer responsibility, cessation of activity relating to hazardous waste and site restoration orders.
Emergency situations, responsibilities of Zambia Environmental Management Agency and Regulations relating to waste management are other areas covered by the law to ensure that waste is adequately managed.
But where is the problem when the law allows penalising or taking offenders to courts and if found guilty sentenced to jail?
Are we afraid of applying the laws we have made ourselves that we want to start charging people to clean up even for those that do not pollute.
The law enforcers should just call a spade and not a spoon if they want to succeed in effective waste management.
I am aware this cannot be a welcome route for a politician, but why then do we have the law?
On the other hand, I fail to understand why as a country we have lamentably failed to manage garbage when we are taught environmental science and social studies at primary school.
You even find environmental studies at university level, so where is the problem? Failing to manage our own dirt!
I have not done research on this one, but I believe a good number of Zambians especially in urban areas where waste management is a critical have sat on a primary desk where environmental science is compulsory.
For now, I will leave it there but I hope the council has done its home work before coming up with this announcement otherwise it would just be one of those things.
As I conclude, let me remind readers how bad garbage is to the environment.
Garbage causes damage to local ecosystems, and it is a threat to plant and animal life.
An ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting as a system.
These biotic and abiotic components are regarded as linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.
Garbage is also a source of food for many animals.
Plastic, in particular, has caused a number of environmental concerns. Plastic is used for its durability, but this durability also means that it decomposes slowly.
It is also strong, so creatures that become trapped in plastic are often unable to break free.
I also support the proposal to ban the use of plastics in Zambia.
With increase in the population and the rising demand for food and other essentials, there has been a rise in the amount of waste being generated daily by each household.
This waste is ultimately thrown into municipal waste collection centres from where it is collected by the area municipalities to be further thrown into the landfills and dumps.
However, either due to resource crunch or inefficient infrastructure, not all of this waste gets collected and transported to the final dumpsites.
If at this stage the management and disposal is improperly done, it can cause serious impacts on health and problems to the surrounding environment.
Waste that is not properly managed, especially excreta and other liquid and solid waste from households and the community, are a serious health hazard and lead to the spread of infectious diseases.
This can be seen from the soared disease burden the hospital is grappling to deal with.
People are today exposed to several infectious substances within the environment.
Unattended waste lying around attracts flies, rats, and other creatures that in turn spread disease.
Normally it is the wet waste that decomposes and releases a bad odour. This leads to unhygienic conditions and thereby to a rise in the health problems.
Used diapers, blood stained bandages and sanitary pads are on our doorsteps with the help of stray dogs.
Exposure to hazardous waste can affect human health, children being more vulnerable to these pollutants.
In fact, direct exposure can lead to diseases through chemical exposure as the release of chemical waste into the environment leads to chemical poisoning.
Organic domestic waste poses a serious threat, since they ferment, creating conditions favourable to the survival and growth of microbial pathogens.
Direct handling of solid waste can result in various types of infectious and chronic diseases with the waste workers and the rag pickers being the most vulnerable.
Thus excessive solid waste that is generated should be controlled by taking certain preventive measures.
ENVIRONMENTAL TIP: Did you know that it take 100 years for a tin or aluminium to decompose? -ZEMA
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