Challenges and opportunities facing local waste collectors

Dar es Salaam. It is a normal thing to meet garbage collectors in the streets, especially plastic bottle collectors, but do you know how important they are?

Being undermined, despised and feared, they end up being tormented in the course of their work by society.

Moreover, they wonder why they are not recognised by the government, despite doing a great job of cleaning the environment and earning their living from the activity.

The government has, in turn, advised them to join in groups and introduce themselves, so that they are known as important and close stakeholders collaborating with authorities in environmental conservation.

Waste collectors have been divided into different categories including collectors of scrap metals, boxes and plastic materials that have been a major source of environmental pollution.

Groups of waste pickers working in Temeke and Manzese were recently mobilised by environmental stakeholders to outline the challenges they are facing and recommend what should be done to successfully carry out their responsibilities.

Speaking to The Citizen, a waste collector from Temeke District, Mr Mohamed Mungi, says recognition and creation of a good working environment was a crucial demand for players in the sector.

“This will make us feel valued like other social groups including bodaboda taxi drivers and petty traders famously known as Machinga,” he says.

Mr Mungi says despite doing a commendable job, they are discouraged by the low income they are generating, noting that they are lacking someone who would defend and protect for their interests inside the government or in the private sector.

“We want our presence recognised by the government because the move will increase our income and respect among members of the society,” says Mr Mungi.

He says agents in the selling centres usually tamper with consignment of collected garbage during measurements when submitted for sale.

Furthermore, he says the said interference reduces their earnings that have been given low prices.

According to him, a kilo of empty plastic bottles are sold at an average of Sh300.

Another collector, Mr Riziki Omary says one person can collect an average of 30 kilos of plastic bottles a day, translating to an average of Sh9,000.

“We are doing tough and laborious work but the pay is very low. Sometimes, the 30 kilos of plastic waste could be rejected by an agent, saying they are dirty or watery,” he says.

“Due to that, some four to five bottles could be deducted from the amount, therefore remaining with 25 kilos,” adds Mr Omary.

Furthermore, he says that they have dedicated themselves to the job in order to make the country clean, questioning what the cities would look like if the waste remained uncollected.

Another waste collector, Mr Khalid Ngakonda says every stakeholder wants to benefit from the entire plastic waste chain, leaving collectors among the disadvantaged.

“The government should manage the matter in order to ensure that waste collection benefits every stakeholder including waste pickers and agents who are ultimate sellers of supplies to recycling factories,” says Mr Ngakonda.

Industry accountability

Juza Waste Pickers Association chief executive officer, Mr Nassibu Kitabu calls on the government to enforce the Environmental Act by ensuring that industries producing waste are held responsible.

“Existing laws should be enforced to hold everyone accountable for roles played pollution. For instance one famous food manufacturing company started dispatching a team for environmental cleaning, but these efforts have suddenly faded,” he says.

“The government should formalise waste collection activities in order to intensify environmental conservation and create more jobs for the youth,” he adds.

He calls on the community and government to consider the job like any other jobs, insisting that waste pickers are not crazy, rather they are sane.

A researcher, Mr Sabatho Nyamsenda insisted that existing laws should be enforced to make waste producers accountable and take measures of protecting the environment instead of abandoning responsibilities.

“It is important that producers of plastic bottles become responsible for the waste they produce. The laws are there but proper management and enforcement remains a huge challenge. These people should fulfil their legal obligations,” says Mr Nyamsenda.

Waste collectors and illicit drugs

Most waste pickers are accused of involvement in the use of illicit drugs with reports saying they opt for waste collection because it was an easy job for income generation without investing any capital.

Claims are that eight people out of 10 either are current users of illicit drugs or had in the past used narcotics.

This leads to community rejection and implicates them to thefts that occur in the homes and streets.

However, one of the waste collectors, Mr Said Mbomboka admits that there are some collectors who use alcohol or drugs with a few of them even when at work.

He says that the income generated by most of them ends up in purchasing the sedatives.

“They are pushed to do so because the nature of their work sometimes requires consumption of things that will free them from stress,” he says.

“We are dealing with waste, making society despise and reject us in the streets. It is difficult for some collectors to do the job without the influence of alcohol,” he adds.

However, Mr Omary who works with Juza association, does not use any alcohol, but does his job well and he likes it.

He emphasises that it is not necessary to use alcohol in order to work as a waste collector, hinting that the most important thing is to appreciate the work that gives you bread and butter.

“Our association has provided us with reflectors which we are supposed to wear at work. That simplifies recognition as we consider the job an employment like any other,” he says.

Demand for protective gears

Regarding protective gear, Mr Mungi says their health is at risk because of working in dirty and dangerous environments that are prone to disease and accident.

“The government or other stakeholders should consider providing us with gloves, hats, shoes and overalls that will increase protection from diseases,” says Mr Mungi.

Nemc welcomes collectors

The National Environmental Management Council (Nemc) director general, Dr Samuel Gwamaka said collectors should mobilise themselves in groups and introduce themselves to his office.

“It is difficult to recognise every individual doing waste collection in the country. As a government institution, doors are wide open for groups of collectors to introduce themselves as important environmental stakeholders,” he says.

“We are happy to work with them because they assure us of a clean environment,” he adds.

Regarding accountability, Dr Gwamaka says industries are not fulfilling their responsibilities for the waste they introduce into the environment.

He says some factories are trying to do so, noting however that most of them are overwhelmed, suggesting that the firms should develop strategies that will enable them to fulfil their environmental cleanliness obligations.

“Basically, a person who produces waste has a legal responsibility to keep the environment clean,” says Dr Gwamaka.