Options for Decentralised Municipal Solid Waste Management in Harare, Zimbabwe

The decentralisation of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) brings significant reductions in the amount of waste sent to landfills, distances travelled by waste collection vehicles yielding subsequent reductions in fuel consumption, transport and maintenance costs, greenhouse gas and other emissions as well as vector associated human health impacts thereby bringing sustainability in MSW. Such decentralised MSWM systems require residents' acceptance derived from their participation in its planning, development and implementation. This study reviewed the options for decentralizing waste management in Harare and surrounding urban areas. Numerous opportunities for decentralisation exist from household backyard composting, anaerobic digestion or composting of biodegradable fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW), anaerobic co-digestion of biodegradable fraction of MSW and dewatered sewage sludge, source separation of MSW for material recovery, construction of waste transfer stations or citizens' convenient centres and establishment of thermal waste to energy facilities. Legislative reforms and their implementation need to be initiated as provided for under goal 10 of the national integrated solid waste management plan (NISWMP) for Zimbabwe to promote the decentralisation of MSWM authority to the lowest appropriate level as well as strengthening the capacity of local authorities to fulfill their obligations.