Final Report 5108

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Industrial Waste Management In Zimbabwe Final Report Gweru City Council & Envive AB

FINAL REPORT

INDUSTRIAL WASTE

MANAGEMENT

IN ZIMBABWE

Gweru and Karlstad, November 2001

Peter Ngwenya Leif JönssonHealth Department ENVIVE AB

City of Gweru



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EMSAAID Final Report Department of Agriculture - Andante & EnviveIndustrial Waste Management In Zimbabwe Final Report Gweru City Council & Envive AB

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Industrial Waste Management Project in Zimbabwe was conceived out the ini-

tiatives of the Rio de Janeiro United Nations Conference on the Environment and

Development of June 1992. The project was carried out in three phases. The first phase resulted in a national assessment of the Industrial Waste Management at

municipal level. Problems and concerns were identified and addressed in national

guidelines for Industrial Waste Management issued by the Department for Natural

Resources in February 1994. The assessment, and the consecutive development of

guidelines, were carried out in a participatory process where municipal Waste Man-

agement Officers were consulted.

The second phase focused on training on, and dissemination of, the guidelines. Mu-

nicipal Waste Management Staff as well as the private sector was addressed

through training courses and workshops. The last part of phase II was the identifica-

tion of prospective pilot municipalities for implementation of the guidelines.

The third, and final, phase of the project lasted from March 1995 to February 2001.

The main objective of this phase of the project was

to support implementation of Guidelines on Industrial Waste Management

in one pilot municipality. The idea was to practically demonstrate to other

stakeholders how industrial waste can be handled at local authority level.

The project has been carried out in close cooperation with other actors forming a

strong and extensive network for the development of environmental management,

especially industrial waste management, in Zimbabwean Municipalities. The Net-

work have had both Zimbabwean, Canadian and Swedish participants.

The following has been achieved during the run of the project:

• Two assessments, year 1993 and 1997, of the status of Zimbabwean Munici-

pal management of Industrial Waste

• Training of Municipal Waste Management officers in totally 8 workshops and

one study visit to South Africa. Training has covered different subjects related

to Waste Management like

Landfilling practice

Leachate Collection & treatment

Hazardous Waste Management

EIA procedures for a landfill

Waste Records and reporting Planning and Construction of Landfills



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To adapt Waste Management to a regressing economy

Cleaner Production, waste minimization and Sustainable Development

Waste fees and other financial tools to improve Waste Management

Polluter Pays Principle

• Development of methods for EIA for Landfills

• Improvements in Waste Management practice, for example

Leachate management

Siting of landfills

Hazardous waste collection and disposal

Regulated waste picking

Recycling of waste streams

Inventories and records of Industrial Waste Generation

Introduction of Polluter Pays Principle in some Municipalities

The final parts of phase II was never carried out due to

- Changes in political priority

- The Recession in the Zimbabwean Economy

- The Swedish Governments decision to withdraw donor support to the

governmental Sector in Zimbabwe, effective from January 26, 2001.



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2. TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY………….………………………………………………….2

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………………...4

3. FOREWORD…………………………………………………………………………..5

4. ACRONYMS, TERMS AND DEFINITIONS………………………………………..6

5. BACKGROUND………………………………………..……………………………..7

6. WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT…………………………………………….....8

7. ACTORS……………………………………………………………………………….9

8. OBJECTIVES………………………………………………………………………..13

9. TARGET GROUPS……………………………………………………………….…15

10. EQUIPMENT………………………………………………………………………....15

11. ACTIVITIES…………………………………………………………………………..15

12. BUDGET UTILIZATION—FOREIGN AND LOCAL……………………………..26

13. RESULTS OF THE PROJECT………………...…………………………………..27

14. SOME ILLUSTRATIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS………...32

15. LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE PROJECT……………………………………..34

16. THE WAY FORWARD…………………………………………………………...…35



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3. FOREWORD This report is the final activity in a project that has been going on since April 1993.

8 years is a fairly long time and a lot of changes in the national and international

arenas have of course had an influence on the activities and outcome of the project.

Main author of the report is Leif Jönsson at Envive Environmental Consultants.Major contributions to the report has been made by Senior Environmental Health

Officer Peter Ngwenya at the Health Department of Gweru City Council and Senior

Consultant Albert Bachs at Envive. The learnings and recommendations in the last

two chapters is a synthesis of conclusions made by the main author and Mr

Ngwenya.

The report has passed the critical eye of Mr Lars Bjern at Andante Consultants,

Värnamo, Sweden.

A large number of other persons have also contributed to achievements in the

project. To those the authors would like express their sincere appreciation and

thanks, and hope that they will continue to be prime movers of sustainable waste

management worldwide.

Gweru and Karlstad , November 2001

Peter Ngwenya Leif Jönsson



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4. ACRONYMS, TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

CLEANER PRODUCTION A UNEP program to promote waste minimi-

zation and prevention of pollution in indus-

tries

DNR Department of Natural Resources

DW Development Worker

EHO Environmental Health Officer

EIA Environmental Impact Assessment. Nor-

mally being used as a planning tool to mini-mize environmental impacts from new ac-

tivities and choose the best available site

EMS Environmental Management System

GCC Gweru City Council

HAZARDOUS WASTE Waste that can have severe adverse ef-

fects on human health and the environment

IWM Industrial Waste Management

PREVENTION OF POLLUTION Use of processes, practices, materials or

products that avoid, reduce or control pollu-

tion, which may include recycling, treat-

ment, process changes, control mecha-

nisms, efficient use of resources and mate-

rial substitution

SVS Swedish Voluntary Service

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme

WASTE MINIMIZATION A systematic approach to reduce waste

from an activity or a production process

considering all the different steps in the pro-

duction cycle

EIA Environmental Impact Assessment



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5. BACKGROUND

5.1. Industrial waste

Waste Management is one of the most crucial environmental issues in the develop-

ment of the industrial sector. It encompasses the whole chain from generation, stor-

age, transport and disposal. If not properly managed, industrial waste streams can

have severe adverse effects in the ecosystems. Land contamination, ground water

pollution and impairment of ambient air quality are some of the most serious effects.

Rapid urbanisation often goes hand in hand with industrialization and these two

trends highlights the potential conflicts between sustainable development and eco-

nomical growth.

It is extremely important, especially in developing countries, to address both issues.There has to be a legal and managerial framework to promote the development of a

sustainable industrial waste management practice. In this process it is important

that the industrial sector its responsibility by adopting “the Polluter Pays Principle”

where the external costs for the environment is part of the calculation. This means

that the industrialist has to pay for any measures needed to protect the environment

from impacts emanating from a certain activity. This is readily possible to apply in

the waste sector where a good waste management practice should be financed

through fees and levies.

Those financial instrument also encourages cleaner production methods, recycling

and waste minimization.

5.2. Zimbabwe and the Rio Earth Summit

The waste management project in Zimbabwe was conceived out of the initiatives of

the Rio de Janeiro United Nations Conference on the Environment and Develop-

ment of June 1992. This conference - which was attended by Zimbabwean repre-

sentatives from the highest level - brought to fore issues of the environment in the

country. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism, through its Department of Natu-

ral Resources, spearheaded environmental issues. It is through one such initiative,

“Industry and Environment in Zimbabwe” undertaken in the Midlands Province in

1992 that issues of improper management of industrial wastes was revealed.

The above mentioned project focused on a study assessing industrial pollution from

the manufacturing industry in the Midland Province. The findings clearly spelled outthat a number of companies were sending their waste to the municipal dump. The



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companies felt that their responsibility for the waste ended at the gates of the dump

site. This lead to the assumption that there were lack of knowledge and good man-

agement practice in the municipal handling of industrial waste.

In an effort to improve this poor status, the Department of Natural Resources to-

gether with Swedish consultants Envive embarked on a project to carry out an as-

sessment of solid waste management in the major cities of Zimbabwe. The project

got funding support from the Swedish donor agency BITS in 1993.

6. WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT

The development of the project over time is illustrated in a timeline, appendix 1

6.1. First Phase

The layout of the first phase was developed jointly by the research and technical

branch of DNR and the Swedish consultant. At this stage the intention was to obtain

knowledge of the present situtation in the municipalities and to come up with ideas

for future waste handling practices at local level. Typical issues that needed to be

studied were collection and transport of industrial waste, waste properties, disposal

practices and environmental control measures in use. The approach was very prag-

matic and focused on direct involvement of municipal waste management officers.

At this early stage of the project there was no decision taken how to continue be-

yond phase one.

6.2. Second Phase

After completion of the first phase in October 1993 the idea came up at DNR to

continue with training of waste management staff in Zimbabwean municipalities in

order to implement the newly issued guidelines.

A proposal for a second phase of the Industrial Waste Management Program was

submitted to BITS. The second phase also included a national workshop for industri-

alists and scouting of a pilot municipality where the guidelines could be imple-

mented as a show-case.

BITS approved the proposal in December 1993 and the second phase started in



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March 1994 with a seminar for Municipal Waste Management Officers.

6.3. Phase 3

The last phase of the project was instituted in January 1995 with a tripartite arrange-ment of BITS being the financial sponsors, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism

through its Department of Natural Resources and Gweru City Council being the sig-

natories. Technical support was provided by the Swedish consultants, Envive. The

project was initially set to run until December 1998. However, due to other local po-

litical priorities and the general recession in the country, the implementation time

was extended to May 2001. This last phase was divided into four steps. The idea

with the third phase was to practically implement knowledge generated in the previ-

ous phases and use the selected pilot Municipality to gain experience on ways and

methods for the implementation process. The pilot should also be the venue for

hands-on training of representatives from the other municipalities and for staff from

DNR. The approach was to be participatory and the trainees were encouraged to

add their input to the different steps of the implementation of the enhanced waste

management system in the pilot Municipality.

7. ACTORS

7.1. Department of Natural Resources (Counterpart)

The Department of Natural Resources ( DNR) is one of two implementing and su-

pervising authorities under the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The depart-

ments main task is to work with conservation and management of the nature. Dur-

ing the last decade DNR has been given a wider scope with more responsibility for

Environmental Management. It has been assigned to be the implementing agency

for the coming National Environmental Act and also to shoulder the responsibility

for the adopted policy for Environmental Impact Assessments of new projects. It is

organized with a head office in Harare and has regional offices in each province.

Each provincial office has local branches in urban and rural municipalities. DNR has

a Research and Technical Branch (RTB) headed by a Chief Ecologist in Harare with

regional ecologists assigned in each province. The responsibilities for the Industrial

Waste Management Project were shared between RTB and the Provincial Natural



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Resource Officer in the Midlands Province. The office for the Midlands Province is

situated in Gweru.

7.2. City of Gweru (Counterpart)

Gweru is the capital of the Midlands Province and was chosen as pilot for Industrial

Waste Management Improvements.

The city is Zimbabwe's third largest with around 200 000 inhabitants. Gweru is situ-

ated on the highveld some 274 km from the capital Harare, and 164 km from Bula-

wayo. It’s altitude is 1 416 metres above sea level and it is located on the main

link of railway between Bulawayo and Harare with rail lines radiating to Masvingo,

Shurugwi, Zvishavane and the Lowveld. The Midlands province is rich in minerals

which has led to the establishment of mines and heavy industry. Major industries in

Gweru are Zimbawe Alloys (Ferro-Chrome works) and Bata (tannery and shoe fac-

tory). Other industries worth to mention are foundries, a dry cell factory, a dairy, a

yeast factory and a brewery.

As being the capital in Midlands, Gweru also has a well-established service sector

including schools, clinics and hospitals.



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The waste handling in Gweru City is managed by the Municipal Health Department.

The Medical Director heads the department which is responsible for medical care,

environmental health and waste management. It has a cleansing section for the

daily work with collection, transport and disposal of waste. The section is headed by

a Cleansing Supervisor. To strengthen the capacity a Senior Environmental HealthOfficer was assigned to work as local project manager and counter-part in the pilot

project.

7.3. Other Zimbabwean MunicipalitiesAll major industrialised municipalities in Zimbabwe participated in the project.

These were:

Harare, the national capital

Bulawayo, which is the second largest city situated in Matabeleland in the South-

West part of the country,

Masvingo, situated in the dry South-Eastern part of the country

Kwekwe, a heavy industrialized city in Midlands

Kadoma, with mainly agri-based industries

Mutare situated in the Eastern Highlands close to the border of Moçambique.

During seminars and workshops the participation was expanded to include smaller

municipalities as well. For a comprehensive list of participating municipalities we re-

fer to attendance sheet attached to each workshop report. Totally around 20 munici-

palities have attended one or more activity during the course of the project from

1993 - 2000.

Officers from DNR and Zimbabwean Municipalities gathered at the entrance of Gweru landfill.



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7.4. Foreign Resources to the Project

7.4.1. Swedish project team

The Swedish resource team has consisted of two consultants from Envive Environ-

mental Consultants. The company works in the field of environmental management,

waste management, environmental impact assessments and environmental audits.

Mr Albert Bachs was assigned as Project Leader and Mr Leif Jönsson as Consult-

ant and Deputy Project Leader. For training in Hazardous Waste Management a

specialist, Mr J. Kenneth Andersson was engaged from JKA konsult AB. The latter

performed his services during the first two quarters of 1994.

7.4.2. Forum Syd

Forum Syd (Formerly SVS, Swedish Voluntary Service) is the Swedish NGO centre

for Development Cooperation. The organisation has a general development pro-

gram and organises a cadre of around 60 development workers in five different

countries. Forum syd had a development worker stationed at the Gweru City Health

Department from June1993 to January 2000..The DW worked as an EHO and sup-

ported the pilot project with additional knowledge and support to institutional capac-

ity building. Prior to that, DNR had a development worker stationed as Environ-

mental Management Specialist in the Midlands province. This DW position was later

on transferred to DNR in Matabeleland. Later on, from 1995 and onwards, other mu-

nicipalities also requested support from Forum Syd and totally 11 development

workers have been involved in the project. Apart from other assignments, all of

them have given a substantial contribution to networking and upgrading of waste

management practices in the concerned municipalities/organisations. The table

below illustrates the representation of DWs in municipalities and organisations

during different time periods.



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7.4.3. Other organisations/institutionsDuring the last two quarters of year 2000, Luleå Technical University participated in

the pilot project with two graduates carrying out a Master Thesis study on waste oil

management in the pilot municipality (Gweru). The thesis was presented by the Divi-

sion for Sanitary Engineering. The division gives training courses in Water and

Wastewater System Planning as well as Sanitary Engineering and Water Treatment.

The Swedish project team was initially funded by BITS. This Swedish donor agency

had a branch for funding of technical assistance project.

In 1995 BITS was merged with Sida and the project was taken over by Sidas de-

partment for Infrastructure and Economic Cooperation (INEC)

BITS, and later on Sida has also contributed by inviting local resource persons from

the counterparts to the international training course in Solid Waste management,

sponsored by Sida . This training course runs once a year in Gothenburg and has

duration of 5 weeks. The course is organized by Chalmers Technical University.

8. OBJECTIVES

The objectives for the first phase was to

1. increase the level of awareness concerning industrial waste manage-

ment in Zimbabwe

2. give guidelines for future work in the implementation of a national in-

dustrial waste management strategy

3. support the staff at the Department of Natural Resources in their futurework with industrial waste issues.

Municipality/Organisation Time period Total number of DW:s

Kwekwe 1995 – 2000 2

Kadoma 1996 – 2000 2Gweru 1993 – 2000 3

DNR - Midlands 1991 – 1993 1

DNR - Matabeleland 1995 –1997 1

Bulawayo 1999 – present 3



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The objectives for the second phase was to

4. train municipal waste management officers in the implementation of

DNR guidelines for industrial waste5. introduce the guidelines to the private sector in Zimbabwe

6. scout for a pilot municipality where the guidelines could be imple-

mented.

The main objective of the last phase of the project was to

7. support implementation of Guidelines on Industrial Waste Management

in one pilot municipality. The idea was to practically demonstrate to other

stakeholders how industrial waste can be handled at local authority level.

From this main objective in the third phase, the following, more specific targets,

were developed:

7.a. To carry out an inventory of solid waste streams in Gweru.

7.b. To develop a waste management plan for Gweru City Council.

7.c. To develop waste handling plans for generators of industrial solid

waste.

7.d. To promote waste minimization through resource recovery, reduction

of waste, re-use and recycling of materials.

7.e.To establish a waste classification system.

7.f. To develop solid waste laws.

7.g. To establish and use a computer database for waste.

7.h. To develop environmentally acceptable waste disposal routines.

7.i. To develop routines for handling hazardous waste.

7.j. To develop and implement a training program for other Zimbabwean

Municipalities based on achievements in the pilot municipality.

Later on during the third phase it was decided to transfer the waste disposal to a

new site.



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The following specific targets were added:

7.k. Accomplish an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for two alter-

natives of a new disposal site

7.l. Plan and construct a new site with proper environmental engineering

7.m. Transfer to the new site

9. TARGET GROUPS

The main target groups, or beneficiaries, were

I. Municipal Officers in charge of Waste Management

II. Other Officers and Policymakers in Gweru City Council

III. Officers at DNR Provincial Office in Midlands (Gweru)

IV. Officers at DNR Central Office in Harare responsible for policy is-

sues and central supervision of Industrial Waste Management.

V. Personnel at Management level in Zimbabwean industries

10. EQUIPMENT

In order to illustrate a good example, the last phase of the project also included a

budget for waste management equipment. Initially a landfill compactor was identified

as crucial for implementation of good land filling practice.

Later on, when decision had been taken to transfer to a new disposal site, funds

were designated for environmental safeguards at the new site. Some funds were

also intended for an environmental safe closure of the present site.

11. ACTIVITIES

11.1. Inventory /assessment 1993

As mentioned above, the project started with an inventory of the Industrial Waste



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Management Practice in the major industrialized, urban areas in Zimbabwe.

The results showed a most unsatisfactory practise in a number of aspects and a

lack of proper waste management knowledge among the professionals in the mu-

nicipalities.A matrix was compiled to give feedback to DNR and the municipalities about the

status of the waste management.

The matrix presented below is a part of the summary for the assessment report

( report E 93-04):

Status

Aspect

Good Acceptable Poor Critical

Routines for Indus-

trial waste 1 1 3

Knowledge of types

of industrial waste 2 1 3

Aspect/status

(number of dumps)

Good Acceptable Poor Critical

Machines at the

dump and transport

vehicles3 2 4

Site location 1 (Harare) 1 (Zimphos) 2 (Kadoma 1,

Bulawayo1)

4 (Kadoma 1, Gweru

1, Kwekwe 2, Roasting

plant)

Oil wastewater

treatment

1 (Harare) 4(KweKwe, Gweru,

Bulawayo, Kadoma)

Leachate protection 1 (Zimphos) 1(Harare) 4 (Harare 1,

Bulawayo 1,

4(Kadoma 1, Gweru 1,

KweKwe 2, Roasting

plant 1)

Monitoring of

surface water

3 (Harare 2, Zimphos

1)

1 (Bulawayo) 6 (KweKwe 3, Roast-

ing plant, Kadoma 2,

Monitoring of

leachate/ Ground

1 (Zimphos) 9 (Harare 2, Kadoma

2, KweKwe 3, Roast-

Waste picking 3 (Harare 2, Bulawayo

1)

1(Kadoma) 3 (Kwekwe 2, Gweru

1)

Completion and re-

storing of old dumps

1 (Zimphos) 2 (Gweru 1, Bulawayo

1)

2 (Harare 1, KweKwe

1)



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The following comments to the situation presented in the table above were given in

the executive summary of that report ( E 93-04):

“Routines for Industrial Waste One council has acceptable routines for taking care of Industrial Waste although even this

council needs to improve disposal methods and monitoring. One council do control incom-

ing waste to the dump, but lacks routines for following up waste that is refused to be dis-

posed at the dump. The rest of the councils have very little control of the industrial waste

handling.

Knowledge of types of waste

One council could give figures for different types of industrial waste, one council has knowl-edge of the amounts of some types of industrial waste while the rest of the councils were

not able to give any figures on waste amounts or types of waste received.

Machines at the dump/ transport VehiclesMost councils have problems with machines and transport vehicles. The fleets are old,

many times worn out and there is a lack of spare parts which make it difficult to keep the

fleet running. Still, three dumps had access to compactors and bulldozers at the dump

which is a necessary condition for waste dumping in sectionized layers. Dumping in com-pacted sectionized layers is important to prevent fires and to minimize leakage.

At some dumps bulldozers are hired from time to time but often there is a lack of filling ma-

terial/top soil.

site localtionA majority of the dumps have been located in old Quarries or gravel pits. This means that

there is a risk for ground water contamination as leakage from the dump seeps through

permeable sand or gravel layers to the water table. In solid rock there is a risk that ground

water in crack-zones will be contaminated which can affect large areas of the water table.

One dump was located directly in a water course. Two other dumps are located very close

to a stream or a river. Some of the dumps are located very close to residential areas which

may cause direct health effects through exposure of toxic waste to waste pickers, through

toxic smoke from fires or from exposure to wind- or water transported toxic waste.

Oil wastewater treatment

Only one council has a plant for separation of oil and dirt from oil separator in garages etc.Most councils do not have any acceptable control of this type of waste.



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Leachate protectionIn general the dumps are not protected for leakage with low permeable underlying soils,

concrete, tarmac or membranes. One private industrial dump is constructed as a secure in-

sulated landfill lined with a synthetic membrane. One dump practices dumping in trenches

at a separate area. These trenches are daily covered, but without any lining of the trench.

Monitoring of surface watersTwo councils monitor regularly surface waters in the watersheds of their municipal water

supply. The design of the monitoring is not made exclusively for impacts from the dumps,

but the monitoring do give some useful information of run-offs from the dumps. Data from

the monitoring has not been compiled and evaluated. The rest of the dumps does not have

any program for monitoring.

Monitoring of leachate/ground water Only the secured insulated landfill is monitored through an inspection well. The rest of the

dumps are not monitored although many of them constitutes a risk for ground water con-

tamination.

Waste picking

At some dumps the waste picking is organized with a licensing procedure and these dumpsalso practice daily covering of disposed waste. The majority of the dumps have not regu-

lated the waste picking and combined with the lack of control of what actually is being

dumped there are risks for health effects on the pickers.

Completion and restoring of old dumpsDue to the lack of machines and transport trucks, some of the old visited dumps have not

been properly covered with top soils. Unsuitable dump sites and lack of knowledge of

waste content calls for further assessment of old dumps and their environmental and healthrisks. In one case there are obvious signs of ground water contamination which may affect

surrounding deep wells.”



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Liquid waste disposed at Bulawayo old dump 1993

11.2. National GuidelinesThe unsatisfactory results from the survey called for the development of National

Guidelines on Industrial Waste Management. The guidelines were developed by the

Research and Technical Branch at DNR, with assistance from the consultants at

Envive, and launched in the later part of 1993. The guidelines addressed both

managerial and technical issues and advocated for partnerships between private

and governmental sector. The waste generator should agree with the municipality

how the waste should be managed in a specific Waste Handling Plan. The Waste

Handling Plan is an interface between the generator, the collector and the disposal

or recycling site.

11.3. Training on GuidelinesOfficers from the assessed municipalities participated in a 3 day training course in

March 1994. Main subject was the newly issued guidelines and emphasis was put

on managerial issues and private sector co-operation. Good Land-filling Practice

and Hazardous Waste Management was also addressed.

11.4. National Workshop for the private sector A critical issue for the development of a good Industrial Waste Management was the

participation from the private sector. A national workshop was organized in Gweru in



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March 1994. Tthe workshop was the second in a series of workshops organized by

DNR and the Confederation of Zimbabwean Industries (CZI)

During the workshop the 1993 assessment was presented as well as the DNR

guidelines on Industrial Waste Management. The workshop adopted a resolutionthat declared the joint responsibility for the Governmental and Private sector to en-

hance the National Industrial Waste Management Practice.

11.5. Selection of pilot municipalityThe response from the two activities in March 1994 indicated a possibility to imple-

ment the guidelines in one municipality as a showcase for other municipalities to fol-

low. BITS showed an interest to support technical assistance to a pilot municipality

and late in 1994 Gweru was selected as the pilot.

11.6. Training in Sweden (3 occasions)Staff from DNR and the cities of Gweru and Bulawayo have participated in BITS’/

Sida’s international training course on Solid Waste Management at several occa-

sions. In October/November 1994 one participant attended from DNR in Bulawayo

and another from Gweru City Council. These officers were trained in Gothenburg in

Sweden for four weeks and this training was followed by project work at home withanother gathering in Namibia in 1995 to present the results from their project work.

Later on The Cleansing Superintendant in Bulawayo participated in the same train-

ing course and quite recently other staff from DNRs research and Technical Branch

has attended the course.

11.7. Waste Management PlanThe first step in the third phase was to develop a Waste Management Plan for the

City of Gweru. The plan gave the direction for future work in order to implement a

Good Waste Management Practice.



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The table of contents from the plan gives an idea of how the GCC planned to pro-

ceed:

“

1. Executive Summary

2. Background information on Gweru

3. Definitions

4. Objectives of the Plan

5. Present waste Management Practices

6. Controlling Instruments – Summary of Waste Laws

7. Government Bodies

8. Municipal Bodies

9. Other Organisations10. GCC Structure

11. Public Cleansing Section Structure

12. Waste Management Project Personnel Plan

13. Waste Trends

14. Future Practices

15. Inventories & Studies

16. The Budget

17. Target Identification

18. Equipment Identification

19. Implementation Programme “

11.8. Training programmeA training programme was developed for the dissemination of information on

achievements and experiences from the pilot project. Officers from other municipali-

ties were invited to participate in the training which encompassed a number of work-

shops and also a study visit to South Africa. As the project progressed, the training

program was amended to also include EIA procedures, planning and construction of

a new waste disposal site. Totally 5 workshops were held from 1995 to 1999.



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11.9. Industrial inventoryThe GCC Pollution Control Section carried out an industrial inventory which resulted

in a register of types and estimated amounts of industrial waste produced by enter-

prises in Gweru.

11.10. Waste recordsIn order to validate the industrial inventory, the cleansing section started to record

waste delivered to the municipal waste dump. Waste records have been compiled

on a monthly basis since 1996 and presented as statistics in the Annual Waste

Management Report. This data base was one of the prerequisites for the introduc-

tion of fees for disposal of industrial waste.

11.11. Waste handling planAs a follow-up of the industrial inventory, major industries in Gweru were visited and

agreements were closed with the individual company on how to transport and dis-

pose their industrial waste. This was in accordance with the National Guidelines

where these agreements were called “waste handling plan”.

11.12. Introduction of equipmentThe cleansing section tried to find a local supplier of a second-hand landfill compac-

tor to be used to upgrade the operations at the present waste dump, but to no avail.

The consultant managed to find suitable second-hand compactor in Sweden and the

refurbished machine was shipped to GCC in May 1996. The machine was taken into

service in October the same year.. Emphasis was put on proper service and mainte-

nance of the compactor for the sustainability of landfill operations and the machine

has been running ever since.

11.13. Improving the waste dumpThe basic idea with the implementation of the guidelines in the pilot Municipality was

to build on existing management practice and infrastructure. After the arrival of the

compactor, the Cleansing Section started to introduce proper landfilling technology.

However, during the detailed studies of possibilities to upgrade leachate treatment

and surface water management it was not deemed feasible to continue at the pre-

sent waste dump and develop it to a proper landfill. The location was too close to

Gweru River and the area was often flooded during rainy season.



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Gweru waste dump flooded during rainy season

11.14. New site neededThere was an urgent need for a new landfill site. After consultations with the Swed-

ish donor, a principal decision was taken by the GCC to source for a new site. The

Zimbabwean Government had launched a policy for Environmental Impact Assess-ment of new industrial and infrastructure projects. Waste landfills were covered by

the policy and the project was amended to include EIA, planning, construction and

operation of a new site.

11.15. EIA for two alternative sitesThis was the first time an EIA was conducted for a Landfill in the Zimbabwean pol-

icy concept.

The task to carry out the EIA was undertaken by a joint team with members repre-

senting the Provincial office of DNR Midlands and the GCC. An interdepartmental

task force was set up with representatives from the City Health, the Treasury, The

City Engineering and other departments within the municipality that played a role in

the transfer process. Two alternative sites were studied in the vicinities of the urban

area of Gweru City. The EIA documents were then reviewed and approved by the

DNR Head Office in Harare. The experiences from the EIA process were shared at

workshops in Bulawayo and Harare.



24


11.16. Closure planAt the same time as the GCC was busy with the selection of a new site it had to plan

for the closure and rehabilitation of the existing site. Measures were taken to avoid

flooding, to reshape and cover already landfilled areas and to minimize leachate

production from disposed waste. A program was worked out to regulate waste pick-

ing and avoid exposure, especially for children, to hazardous and risky waste.

Waste pickers in Gweru 1993 Waste pickers in Harare 1997

11.17. New site planning and preparationThe EIA process resulted in the selection of a site at McFaddens farm, app. 10 km

from the City Centre.

The new site was planned through a series of consultations where the in-house in-

terdepartmental group played a crucial role but also Environmental Health and

Cleansing Officers from other municipalities were active in workshops and one on

one discussions. Four municipalities, Gweru, Bulawayo, Kadoma and Kwekwe, held

regular meetings in a Municipal Environmental Network, supported by Forum Syd,

and the industrial waste topic was always there on the agenda.

11.18. New AssessmentLate in 1997 the team from the first assessment in 1993 made a follow-up of any

changes in the management of Industrial Waste. This time two more municipalities,

Masvingo and Mutare, were included and the scope was a bit wider than the previ-

ous assessment.

The following chart illustrates changes noticed in the most important aspects of in-



25


dustrial waste management:

11.19. Waste oil treatmentThe handling of waste oil was one of the aspects that was deemed critical in the na-

tional surveys in 1993 and 1997. Two graduates from the Technical University in

Luleå spent three months in Gweru and made applied research on the best method

to collect, transport and dispose waste oils. They managed to come up with a pro-

posal for a low cost disposal method that would still be environmentally safe. The re-

port was presented to the Gweru City Council and it was accepted as a final thesis

by the Luleå Technical University.

11.20. Project StalledDue to the recession in the Zimbabwean economy, and also due to other political

priorities, the Waste Management Project was stalled and not much progress took

place from January 2000 to February 2001. The rainy season 2000/2001 was very

wet and the municipality had problem to access the present site close to Gweru

River which was flooded. Although the muncipal treasury funds were almost ex-

hausted,The GCC developed an emergency plan with minimum measures and in-

ASSESSMENT RESULTS

Issue 1993 1997

Knowledge of industrial Waste

Routines for Industrial Waste

Oil Waste Treatment

Leachate Protection

Machines at landfill

Regulated Waste Picking

Monitoring of Ground and Surface Water

General Awareness about

Waste Management

20% 100%

20% 60%

20% 0%

33% 42%



26


vestments for the transfer to the new site.

11.21. Reporting and sharing of pilot Municipality experiencesThe two remaining activities in the project plan was the final report and the sharing

of pilot experiences among all the actors in the project.

In January 2001 the Swedish Government took the decision to freeze all develop-

ment assistance to the Zimbawean Governmental sector, including the municipali-

ties. Hence this report only covers activities up to the consultants final visit, made in

early February 2001.

12. BUDGET UTILIZATION - FOREIGN AND LOKAL

N.B. Local Budget converted into SEK, using the average exchange rate of

Phase 1 1SEK = 0,87 Z$



Comments to the Budget Utilization Table;

Around 600 000 SEK, or 16% of the total expenditures, were used for the purchase

and commission of the landfill compactor.

The local costs in phase III were spent on maintenance of landfill equipment (landfill

compactor) and rehabilitation of the present landfill site.

Budget

Phase

Foreign Local Total

Fees Costs Fees Costs Total %

I 220 000 65 800 N/A5000

(approx.)290 800 8

II 240 000 78 760 N/A 20 000 338 760 9

III 1 244 450 1 012 873 N/A 789 000 3 046 323 83

TOTAL 1 704 450 1 157 433 N/A 814 000 3 675 883 100

% 46 31 N/A 23 100



27


The lion share of the equipment budget was used to

purchase, refurbish and commission a Swedish

second-hand landfill compactor

13. RESULTS OF THE PROJECT

13.1. General / National AchievementsImproved waste management profile within Gweru City Council and in Zimbabwe.

Gweru grasped the top position in the Health Cities competitions category on

waste management in 1996, sponsored by World Health Organization.

The Minister of Health and Child welfare gave in 1996 Harare city an ultimatum to

sort out their waste disposal sites relating to Gweru as the good example

The project has been a focal point for visiting groups which includes Gweru City’s

twin cities and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and other

organisations (DANIDA).

13.2. DNR development

1. Issued Guidelines on Industrial Waste Management

2. Issued Guidelines on EIA for Disposal Sites

3. Gained Knowledge on the status of Industrial Waste Management in Ma-

jor Industrialized Municipalities

4. Exposed to current Waste Management Practices in SADC-region,

Europe and Canada

5. Trained staff at research and technical branch in

• Environmental Impacts from industrial waste

• Waste Management Assessment methodology



28


• Environmental Impact assessment of new waste disposal sites

• Hazardous Waste Management

6. Trained staff at the Provincial Office in Midlands in• Industrial Waste Project Management

• Waste Management planning and implementation

• Supervision of Waste Management Activities

13.3. Development - City of Gweru

1. Established and implemented a Waste Management Plan for Gweru

City Council.

2. Established a register of all major industrial waste producers

3. IEC channels established with all industries in the register

4. Implemented good management practice at present landfill

5. Upgraded waste management equipment, especially landfill compactor

and waste collection compactors

6. Database with records from industrial waste disposal at GCC site

7. Annual reports on the waste management performance

8. Carried out EIA for two alternative sites for waste disposal

9. Trained staff at the City Council in

•Environmental Impacts from industrial waste

• Waste Management Assessment methodology

• Waste Management Planning

• Environmental Impact assessment of new waste disposal sites

• Applied Computer Science

• Hazardous Waste Management

• IEC

10. Participated in an in-depth study on waste oil management in Gweru, a



29


final thesis performed by two students at Luleå Technical University.

11. Launching of the Gweru clean up campaign by the Executive Mayor in

June 1997. This is a multi-stakeholder group responsible for educating

residents on effects of littering. The group carries out clean ups around

the city.

12. Together with Environment 2000, a non – governmental organization

initiated recycling of paper in schools within Gweru in 1997.

13. Together with Blair Research Institute (Harare) carried out a research

project entitled “Factors contributing to High Littering in Gweru” in

1998 and 2000 . The recommendations from the research report are

being implemented.

13.4. Development in Other Municipalities

1. Capacity building of personnel from 14 participating local authorities

through 8 workshops and one study visit to South Africa.

2. Improved waste management in the majority of participating

municipalities.

13.5. Private Sector Development1. NGOs and Research Institutes have participated in recycling and clean-

up campaigns and surveys of littering.

2. Confederation of Zimbabwean Industries organised national workshops

on Industrial Waste Management

3. Private entrepreneurs have shouldered responsibility for industrial

waste collection in Bulawayo

4. Private entrepreneur, in co-operation with, the Municipal Cleansing Divi-



30


sion, elaborated ideas on a privately run treatment plant for hazardous

waste in Bulawayo

5.Private companies traded segregated waste from landfills

6. Polluter pays principle has been implemented in some municipalities

where the producer of industrial waste has to pay a fee for collection

and disposal of the waste

13.6. Established Networking between the Actors

1. Project Officer from Gweru assisted in the designing and construction

of a waste disposal site for Chinhoyi Town Council in 1997.

2. Project Officer from DNR Provincial office in Bulawayo assisted Victoria

Falls Municipality in sustainable development planning, including up-

grading of waste management.

3. The participating local authorities decided to form an environment

networking group whose membership now stands at seven towns and

cities. The group is involved in sharing information on environment

issues, carrying out surveys and hosting minor field study students

from Sweden and local training institutions.

4. Introduction of solid waste management by-laws through the Urban

Councils Enviro-network group.

5. Gweru Waste management plan formed a model for other urban munici-

palities.

6. Forum Syd actively recruited development workers to be stationed at

Environmental Health departments in municipalities involved in the

project.



31


13.7. Other Spin-offs1. Gweru project officer and waste management staff from Bulawayo pre-

sented papers on the project at the International Federation of Environ-

mental Health Congress in Stockholm, Sweden, June 1998.

2. Waste Management paper presentation by Gweru project officer at the

World Bank –UNEP Urban Environmental Management SADC Regional

workshop in Harare in 1999.

To summarize the results it is interesting to compare with the objectives.

In general, the objectives in the different phases have been fulfilled. The remaining,

unfilled tasks, were to transfer to a new disposal site in the pilot municipality and to

share the experiences from the transfer to the other Zimbabwean municipalities.

The role of Gweru as a model for improved waste management was a bit hampered

from the lack of political support during the later part of phase III. The unfortunate

economic recession in Zimbabwe and the political development may even have

moved the waste management issue a bit backwards during the last two years.

The most important change is in the attitude and knowledge among the cadre of

dedicated waste management officers in the Zimbabwean Municipalities and the

staff of professionals at DNR.

Some of the staff at DNR have left the organization during the run of the project.

These professionals can be found in new positions in the field of Environmental

Management where they may have an influence on the future waste management

development at policy level.



32


Leachate collected downhill from Bulawayo Landfill . . . and collected in drains leading to leachate pond.

14. SOME ILLUSTRATIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS

14.1. Bulawayo landfill and leachate protectionAs early as 1994 the Bulawayo City Council took the decision to open up a new

landfill site. This came very timely with the newly issued guidelines. While participat-

ing in the training on the guidelines, the task force for the development of the new

site identified leachate protection as one of their main concerns in upgrading the en-

vironmental aspects of the landfill practice. This was a crucial issue as the soil in

new landfill area have high permeability (sand and gravel)

The city council managed to implement leachate management with clay lining of the

landfilling cells and a leachate collection system leading to a clay-lined collection

pond.

The new site was commissioned in 1994 - 95 beeing the first Zimbabwean Munici-

pal Landfill with leachate management.

14.2. Waste records, computer database and annual reports in GweruWhen the pilot project started in Gweru, the waste management staff was not com-

puter literate. There was no system to keep track on the quality and quantity of in-

coming waste at the landfill. Likewise there was no register of waste production from

the industrial sector.

The waste management plan, developed under this project, focused on a self-

sustained system where collection and disposal fees should be the backbone of fi-nancing.



33


The staff at the landfill site was trained in monitoring the waste streams delivered to

the site and every single transport was recorded on hardcopy.

The supervising and clerical staff at the cleansing section of the Municipal Health

Department was trained in computer work. The consultants supported the staff todevelop a waste database linked with adequate reporting procedures.

Waste records were presented in monthly statistics for each and every waste gen-

erator.

Annual reports were compiled and the GCC developed a very powerful planning

tool for the construction of the new site and the introduction of fees for waste collec-

tion and disposal

14.3. EIA and planning for the new site in GweruOne of the more ambitious steps that the waste management staff in Gweru under-

took was the sourcing of a new site for a landfill.

The Zimbabwean National Government had very recently launched a policy on EIA

procedures when the decision was taken to go for a new site for the waste disposal

in Gweru.

The policy strongly recommended that sourcing of a new site should use the EIA

format. In order to choose the best site, at least two alternatives should be investi-

gated and compared with respect to environmental and socio-economical factors.

At the time for the EIA study there were very limited experiences of EIA work in the

Zimbabwean context. The study was the first in the country to be performed for a

landfill.

The EIA was carried out with a multi-sectorial approach where the core of the task

force consisted of staff from Gweru city council departments and the provincial

Natural Resources office. Residents in adjacent areas were consulted as well aslandowners and industrialists affected by the proposed activities.

Screening and scoping activities were made in close coordination with DNR central

office in Harare.

A scoring system was developed in order to compare the two sites.

The EIA study, with recommendation to choose one of the sites, was sent to DNR

central office for approval.

In this way the staff involved in the study gained knowledge and confidence throughhands-on practice the EIA planning tool. The experiences from the study led to a



34


pragmatic sharing of experiences in two consecutive Workshops for the Northern

and Southern parts of the country .

Poster exhibition in Kadoma municipal Hall

14.4. Kadoma IEC campaignDuring the implementation of the program, Kadoma Municipality had a very inter-

esting approach to communicate good waste management practice to the public.

They developed a very nice and easy-reading annual report and combined it with a

poster exhibition on composting and recycling of waste.

14.5. Mutare Twinning partnership with the NetherlandsThe City of Mutare entered into a twinning agreement with the Municipality of Haar-

lem in the Netherlands. Their sister municipality supported with waste management

planning, industrial inventories and a national workshop on Hazardous Waste Man-

agement. The pilot project benefited a lot from the additional inputs, contributed by

the waste management staff in Mutare based on their learnings from the twinning

arrangement

15. LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE PROJECT

15.1. Political PrioritiesAs in all development projects, success is built on the dualism between dedicated

project staff, “The prime movers”, and support from appropriate policy level.

In this project the political support was sometimes not strong enough. Other munici-



35


pal activities were given higher priority and the lack of political support was crucial

for the failure to actually transfer to the new site. The waste management in itself

was running at a profit and some support for hardware environmental investments

was available in Sidas budget.But the income from waste management was utilized for other municipal needs like

primary health care. When the pitfall of the Zimbabwean economy appeared, it was

too late to find the necessary funds for the transfer.

15.2. The right time to introduce feesDisposal fees were planned to be introduced when the new site became opera-

tional.

This was looked upon as the natural time for such a change, but maybe fees could

have been introduced at an earlier stage and used to partly finance the transfer to

the new site.

15.3. Private Sector InvolvementThe private sector was involved in the project through workshops and one onto one

communication. Maybe a permanent representation from the private sector In a pro-

ject reference or steering committee could have augmented the involvement fromthe private sector

16. THE WAY FORWARD

GCC had budgeted for the development of the new waste disposal site in the

2000 and 2001 year budgets. Access to cheap money has been a major problem

which culminated in the failure to develop the new site in the past year. The high in-

flationary economy has also resulted in escalation of costs. A least budget has

been drawn up for the new site. The tying of levying waste fees to the development

of the new site has created a financing bottleneck for the Council.



36


The following actions could be recommended for the future:

•

To work for a change the political priorities on both national and local level

• To mobilize the public to participate in sustainable waste management activi-

ties

• Ensuring sustainability of waste management in Zimbabwe by implementing

the polluter pays principle as well as efficient environmental legislation.

• Establish a National structure for the treatment and disposal of Hazardous

Waste

• Establish a wider network with Public – Private sector partnerships in waste

management

• Further training of Governmental staff at municipal and regional level in Waste

Management and monitoring and control of Waste Management activities.

To learn more about Waste Management in Zimbabwe please contact:

Department of Natural Resources

P.O. Box 8070

Causeway

Harare, Zimbabwe email: [email protected]

City of Gweru

Health Department

P.O. Box 278

Gweru, Zimbabwe email: [email protected] homepage: www.gwerucity.org




Training on Waste

Management Plan

Workshop on

Guidelines

Workshop on

assessment

report

National workshop on

Industry & Environment

Sida international training course

on Solid Waste Management

IWM Assessment IWM Guidelines IWM Improvements Pilot IWM In Gweru

Project

Start

Legend

Major project activity

Other project-related activity

External training/conferense

Project training activity

19931992 1994


Forum Syd/SVS Development Workers stationed at Municipal Health OfficesIndustry &

Environment

Assessment

1995

Waste Management Plan Implementation of WMP

1996

National workshop on

Industry & Waste

Management

Workshop on

Specific IWM issues

Study Visit to

South Africa

Training on

Waste Records&

EIA

Landfill

Compactor in

operation

TIMELINE FOR INDUSTRIAL WASTE MANAGEMENT

PROJECT IN ZIMBABWE

1993 - 2001

Forum Syd/SVS Development Workers stationed at Municipal Health Offices

Workshop on waste fees

Training in construction

of Landfill site

EIA Training in Bulawayo

& Harare

InternationalCongress

on environmental health

EIA for a new site IWM Assessment II Design of new site

Legend

1997 1998


Waste oil Study

1999

Workshop for industrialist

on waste fees and progress

Of the project

Project stalled due to recession

Project End/

Final report

2000 2001

Council decision to

transfer to new site

Sida international training course

on Solid Waste Management Sida international training course

on Solid Waste Management

Final Report 5108

Documents