Tanzania’s solid waste management dilemma
What you need to know:
- In the context of urban environments like Dar es salaam City, solid waste presents a significant management challenge due to its sheer volume, diversity, and potential environmental and health impacts.
- Approximately 4,500 tonnes of waste are produced every day in Dar es Salaam City but only about one quarter makes it to the dump site.
Solid waste encompasses a broad spectrum of non-liquid, discarded materials generated by human activities. These materials can range from household waste, such as food scraps and packaging, to industrial by products, construction debris, and commercial refuse.
Unlike liquid or gaseous waste, solid waste maintains a physical form and typically requires specific methods for collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal.
In the context of urban environments like Dar es salaam City, solid waste presents a significant management challenge due to its sheer volume, diversity, and potential environmental and health impacts.
Approximately 4,500 tonnes of waste are produced every day in Dar es Salaam City but only about one quarter makes it to the dump site.
The rest is buried, burned, or dumped in open spaces and waterways. Without effective management strategies in place, solid waste can accumulate in streets, open spaces, and waterways, posing risks of pollution, habitat degradation and disease transmission like water borne diseases and cholera. The mismanagement of waste in Tanzania stems from various interconnected factors, including:
Inadequate infrastructure
Many regions in Tanzania lack sufficient infrastructure for waste collection, transportation, and disposal. Limited access to collection services and insufficient waste management facilities contribute to the accumulation of waste in public spaces and informal dumping sites.
Population growth and urbanization
Tanzania's rapid population growth and urbanization exacerbate the challenges of waste management. As urban centres expand, the demand for services such as waste collection and disposal outpaces the capacity of existing infrastructure, leading to increased levels of waste mismanagement.
Lack of awareness and education
Inadequate public awareness and education about the importance of proper waste disposal and recycling practices contribute to widespread mismanagement of waste. Many communities lack understanding of the environmental and health consequences of improper waste disposal, leading to behaviours such as littering and illegal dumping. The concept of “3 Rs” which means Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle is not known to many.
Lack of regulatory enforcement
Weak enforcement of regulations and inadequate monitoring and enforcement mechanisms contribute to the persistence of illegal dumping, uncontrolled landfilling, and other forms of waste mismanagement.
The absence of effective regulatory frameworks and enforcement mechanisms undermines efforts to promote compliance with waste management standards and guidelines. To address the waste management dilemma in Tanzania, several key strategies and interventions are necessary
Investment in infrastructure
Prioritize investment in waste management infrastructure, including waste collection vehicles, modern dumpsite, recycling facilities, and sanitary landfills. Expand coverage of waste collection services to underserved areas and ensure that infrastructure is resilient to population growth and urbanization. The dumpsite like the one in Pugu Kinywamwezi in Dar es salaam is currently overwhelmed as it receive more that its capacity so investment in more dumpsites is paramount.
Public awareness and education
Launch comprehensive public awareness campaigns to educate communities about the importance of proper waste disposal, recycling, and composting practices. Promote behaviour change through targeted messaging, community engagement, and school-based initiatives to instil environmental stewardship from an early age.
Regulatory frameworks
Strengthen regulatory frameworks and enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with waste management standards and guidelines. Implement measures to deter illegal dumping, enforce penalties for non-compliance, and promote accountability among waste generators, transporters, and disposal operators. Several Municipal Councils in Tanzania like Iringa and Moshi has implemented some by-laws regarding solid waste management and succeeded
Frank Abel is senior programme accountant at Amref Health Africa Tanzania and stakeholder of Sustainable Development focusing more on effect of climate change. The views explained herein are those of author and do not represent the view of Amref. Mob: +255 753 73 23 55.
