SPECIAL REPORT : How mismanagement of solid waste costs Dar City dearly

Dar es Salaam. From blocked ditches choked with sludge and used plastic bottles to rubbish strewn outside residences on dusty roads, Dar es Salaam is not a pretty looking city when it comes to the management of solid waste.

Matters are made worse when, during the rainy season the undisposed waste pollutes water sources and blocks drainage systems giving rise to waterborne diseases.

With a population of 5.1 million the solid waste churned out on a daily basis outpaces collection efforts by far.

The term solid waste covers household garbage, food wastes, yard wastes, and demolition or construction debris. It also includes discarded items like household appliances, furniture, scrap metal, machinery, car parts and abandoned or junk vehicles.

Cutting across the board, on average it is estimated that each person in Dar es Salaam produces a kilo of solid waste daily. Between 10 and 20 per cent of the waste is collected and taken to the dumpsite at Pugu Kinyamwezi.

Solid waste management has been nightmare for the City authorities as a result of poor infrastructure and the lack of urban planning as well as financial constraints.

Environmental experts believe that Dar es Salaam could manage the waste better if city dwellers paid for the service through well-designed systems.

Speaking with The Citizen in Dar es Salaam recently, an environmental engineer Alexander Fecher, warns that the situation could get out of hand in ten years time if efforts are not taken immediately to establish strategies that require massive technical support.

Mr Fecher said with only 10 per cent of the solid waste being collected and taken to dumpsites, approximately 4,000 tonnes of the waste remains where it was collected or produced.

“This is waste we see abandoned in the streets, at water sources and backyard dumpsites among other areas,” he explained.

The 4,000 tonnes is equal to 20,000 cubic metres of waste, which in turn is equivalent to 2,000 truck loaded with waste lining a road bumper to bumper.

He warns that there would be much more waste to manage by 2030 when Dar es Salaam’s population would have doubled to 10 million.

According to the Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project 2011, Kinondoni District leads in churning out solid waste at 2,020 tonnes followed by Ilala which produces 1,100 tonnes and Temeke which produces 1,030 tonnes daily.

A report by experts from the Netherlands on Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) for Dar es Salaam published in November 2016, points out that the solid waste problem in the City is made worse by the fact that environmental awareness among the population is generally low.

The majority of the public does not understand what they expose themselves to when they do not properly dispose of the waste.

Other factors include the lack of waste collection services and fees the and the deplorable state of the Pugu waste dump. In addition the cooperation among government institutions leaves a lot to be desired.

The experts were in the country last September to assess the situation regarding waste management and explore opportunities for cooperation and business.

They noted that there is hope since Dar es Salaam is a promising city with at least 80 per cent of its residents earning per capital income of about Sh2.2 million. With an average of four persons per household it is assumed to be residents wiold be able to pay garbage collection fees while compensating for the 20 per cent of people living below the poverty line in the city.

Solutions

The experts suggested that the public should highly be engaged since they create the waste and that they should be made to feel they are responsible for the waste they produce.

According to Mr Fecher, since the major challenge of the waste management in the city results from a lack of funding, authorities could design a fee structure that would make every responsible citizen pay.

Explaining, he noted for instance since every person produces a kilo of waste per day, this means on average 365 kilo annually, a family of six people would produce approximatelytwo tonnes of waste each year.

Dumping costs are estimated at $20 (Sh44,000) per tonne and since it is estimated that a family produces two tonnes thus it cost $40 (Sh88,000) for every family annually which can be approximated to Sh100,000 per family per year.

He said the authorities could divide this cost in 12 months making families responsible to pay at least Sh8,500 per month which is an equivalent of Sh1,416 per every person in the family.

“If every person is charged Sh1,416 each month, then everyone spends at least Sh50 a day for the disposal of solid waste. This is affordable and it will make every person in the family responsible,” he says.

He notes that to further convince the public to pay waste collection fees, the service has to improve. “People always want to see value for money for any service being paid for,” he insists.

The fee collection challenges could be made easier if it is charged together with other bills such as electricity or water bills.

So how do Dar es Salaam residents currently get rid of their rubbish? For Stella Musa who resides at Sinza Makaburini she said: “I have three garbage bins at home and every Friday the collection truck passes by. We pay Sh3,000 each week, but the operators are unreliable thus creating chaos reulting in the street being littered with waste.”

Julian Steven who resides in Goba says ever since she moved to the area she has bever seen a garbage truck. She has learnt to manage the household waste by digging a pit in the backyard for trash and plans to use the waste as manure for her garden.

Living right at the city centre in Kariakoo, Farheem Malik said: “In the apartment I stay there are about eight garbage bins which a contracted collector empties every night. We pay Sh80,000 each month as service charges for waste disposal, electricity bills, water, and for maintenance.”

It was adivised that manufacturers include waste management costs in their products and the money is remitted to the municipals for waste management.

Costs

Experts say that the current system of waste collection is challenging as the distances from the residential areas to the main dump site are not condusive. On average, trucks can afford only two trips a day due to the distance. Inaccessibility of streets and traffic congestion slow down the transporation.

Mr Fecher said transportation costs could further be reduced if the government considers establishing transfer stations. He said that the authorities could save up to 50 per cent of the current costs.

Transfer stations are currently not available in Dar es Salaam which means that every waste collection truck has to take the waste to the Pugu dumpsite, a round-trip distance of 60km from areas like Tegeta or 30kms from City Centre.

Collection trucks especially compactor trucks are expensive, have lower capacities and are operated by at least six people are considered not fit for manoeuvring on dumpsites.

“As another option, nocturnal collection routes can be used to overcome some of the challenges. Fewer but bigger vehicles can be deployed at the landfill preventing traffic congestion,” reads part of the ISWM report.

In general the introduction of transfer stations to the system would lead to lower costs if an adequate amount of stations are put in the right locations. An expert’s estimation of the number needed in Dar es Salaam is three.

Poor coordination

Currently, municipal coucils are dealing with collection while the Dar es Salaam City Council deals with the final disposal. The coordination among authorities is low thus making waste management activities in the city a challenge.

According to experts, solid waste management requires one institution that solely deals with all activities.

Dar es Salaam City Council five districts, Ubungo, Kinondoni, Temeke, Ilala and Kigamboni, with 26 planned and 74 unplanned wards. Each ward has approximately five streets.

Currently there are no facilities used for separation, reuse and recycling of waste in Dar es Salaam. However, there are informal players including used plastic bottles collectors and other who sort papers. But their contrbution is relatively minimal.

Initiatives to have the first composite plant are underway through support from Hamburg City in Germany. The plant which has been designed to produce fertiliser and would use 500 tonnes of waste collected in the Kinondoni District alone.

Comments and suggestions have been raised by various authorities that deal directly or indirectly in solid waste management.

State Minister in the Vice President’s Office (Union matters and Environment) Mr January Makamba insisted that waste management calls for involvement of all stakeholders from those who produce it.

He warned, “I think the most important thing is for everyoneto play their part. But first let us have uniform data,” said Mr Makamba during an interview with The Citizen in his office.

While some sources claim at least 5,000 tonnes of solid waste is produced every day, data from the office of Dar es Salaam City Council show that waste produced in the city is 4,200 tonnes daily.

Having a dedicated authority was also emphasised by Mr Emanuel Ndyakumana, a civil engineer with the Dar Metropolitan Project which is under the Prime Minister’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government.

He noted that as it is for roads with a dedicated agency, the Tanzania National Road Agency (Tanroad), there is a need to have a similar body for solid waste management.

According to Mr Ndyakumana, it is undeniable fact that managing solid waste is a challenge due to various reasons including insufficient fund and human resources.

But he added that the nymber on obsatcle is to changing the sattitude of the public towards solid waste handling. Currently it is difficult to ing to carry out waste segregation since the waste reaches the dumpsite unsorted.

Dar es Salaam City Mayor Charles Mwita said that the government is planning to construct transfer stations although the idea is opposed by people who fear that the collection points might be turned into dump sites.

According to him,, there are 276 garbage trucks some owned by private firms and a few by the government. Ony 150 access the Pugu dumpsite every day and most of the trucks are faulty.

“Following a number of challenges facing the management of solid waste in the city, a number of plans have already been put in place for the year 2017 that will help ease the problem,” said Mr Mwita.