Zero waste champions hit Harare streets to clean city for COMESA

Alicia Kadzviti

Herald Reporter

PREPARATIONS for the upcoming COMESA Summit have begun in Harare, with the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) rolling out a city-wide clean-up campaign along major roads as zero waste champions are deployed to clear heavily littered routes.

EMA Harare provincial manager, Mr Leon Mutungamiri, said the agency, in collaboration with Geo Pomona, has commenced the deployment of zero waste champions along key hotspot routes to ensure a clean and safe environment for residents, visitors and dignitaries expected to attend the summit in October.

“So this early clean-up drive which we are currently undertaking is our commitment to public health, environmental responsibility and national drive,” he said.

The clean-up is targeting road servitudes and other public spaces. According to Mr Mutungamiri, teams were deployed along Old Mazowe Road on Wednesday after it was found to be “heavily littered”.

He said the champions cleared the waste and Geo Pomona later collected the bagged rubbish.

The previous week, similar exercises were conducted along Airport Road and Rotten Row, adding that litter-picking exercises will be intensified as the summit approaches.

EMA is also appealing to the public and businesses to take responsibility for waste management ahead of the regional meeting.

As part of the drive, Mr Mutungamiri said the agency is encouraging motorists not to throw litter through the window and urged residents to refrain from dumping waste anyhow to avoid illegal dumpsites.

He further called on corporate institutions to clean the frontage of their premises to ensure clean road verges, and urged residents of Harare to place litter in the bin all the time.