This cowardly act, mostly disposed of at night or during odd hours, is not telling well on the country and its people. Forest parts are designated areas that must be preserved. It is high time members of the public identify public waste disposal sites and forest.
Every public space cannot be used to dump garbage especially in places that is an eyesore.
Experts warn that generation and disposal of solid waste is an intrinsic part of any developing society. However, communities must take ownership and protect their surroundings.
If we allow Nyambai Forest and other designated sites to be used as a dumping site, it would greatly hamper the vegetation cover while exposing members of the public to long term health consequences.
We commend the Ministry for sounding the alarm and warning all to desist from this cowardly act.
The most incomprehensible part is that most of these sites are situated in the middle of the town.
Yet, it is a fact that the rapid population growth, increasing economics activities and ever-expanding urbanisation has resulted in some of these unprecedented surges in waste generation.
According to AU Agenda 2063 ‘The Africa We Want’ clearly outlines measures and the need for Africa to pursue sustainable waste management approaches to ensure the full realisation of this lofty dream.
It has been projected that by 2050 the volume of waste will triple from 174 million tonnes per year as of 2026 to approximately 516million tones across the African continent. This really needs caution and practising sound environmentally initiatives to protect our environment.
It is high time government embraces recycling of waste into something useful. Though, other tends to portray a negative picture of recycling but is has proven to be the surest way of protecting environment in some areas while reducing burning.
For example, approximately 70–80% of the municipal solid waste generated in Africa is recyclable. However, only 4% of municipal solid waste is currently recycled.
Informal waste pickers actively recover valuable resources from the waste at minimal compensation to municipalities and private sector companies. This means that approximately half of the waste material generated in Africa remains uncollected within Africa’s cities and towns, where it remains dumped on sidewalks, open fields, drains, and rivers.