World Environment Day -Inspiring Story of Citizen Involvement in Waste Management From Africa

Waste management is a big issue in Malawi and throughout the globe. A lot of innovations in waste management are being done but a lot needs to be done. The impact of waste and plastic pollution through ingestion and entanglement of marine fauna, ranging from zooplankton to cetaceans, seabirds and marine reptiles, are well documented. Adsorption of persistent organic pollutants onto plastic and their transfer into the tissues and organs through ingestion is impacting marine mega fauna as well as lower trophic-level organisms and their predators. Tsoka market is the major market in Lilongwe which receive a large number of people on daily basis. The waste from this market was being piled next to Lilongwe River making it possible for water pollution and affected an aesthetic scenery of the area. The city generates 109 tonnes of solid waste per day of which 15 percent comes  from industries, 25 percent from commercial areas, 20 percent from hospitals and 40 percent from residential areas. Waste from Lidzulu and Tsoka market sites which is mostly uncollected find its way in Lilongwe River which is used mostly by the vendors for cooking and some people downstream. thereby polluting the river and putting the lives of people at risk. There is a lot of water and air pollution when the waste is dumped in the river and illegal dumping sites which is causing a lot of health problems and polluting the land

NatureKit.org, Trash Hero Lilongwe and its partners AJAP, Environmental Care Initiative and Malawi Youth Network held a clean-up at Tsoka market with the help of Lilongwe City Council for transportation. After 4 consecutive clean ups which were held on every Saturdays the illegal dumping site at Tsoka market was cleared and the market Chairman has taken measures to ensure that it remains clean. People living close by have freedom from bad odour and vector born dieses now.

Waste that ends up in water bodies negatively change the chemical composition of the water and affecting other water users downstream. Besides, this will affect all ecosystems existing in the water. When this water is used for irrigation hazardous chemicals get into the soil (contaminants) can find their way into humans via such crops. Waste allowed to get deposited in a place will eventually find its way into water hence it needs citizen conscious effort to not litter and dump waste and follow proper disposal .Waste management practices can result in decreasing land and air pollution.

Being proactive citizen and putting some effort for such community services is the message of  “World Environment Day”,  from Malawi, Africa