The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
ENVIRONMENTALISTS and tour operators have expressed concern over litter bugs who continue to dump rubbish especially plastic paper along the country’s highways.
This causes an eyesore to the environment, and at the same time poses a health hazard to wildlife which scavenge for food and eat plastic thereby leading to death in some instances.
While the country under the Second Republic continues to inculcate a culture of cleanliness and keeping the environment clean through the National Clean-up initiative introduced by President Mnangagwa two years ago where the first Friday of each month is a day of cleaning the environment, some litter bugs continue to deliberately dump litter at undesignated places.
During the past week, an unidentified motorist dumped a load of rubbish comprising kaylites, various kinds of paper and plastics near Gwayi River along the Victoria Falls-Bulawayo Road.
The behaviour infuriated environmentalists and tour operators in the area as wild animals such as elephants had started scavenging on the litter.
A tour operator, Mr Jonathan Mathuthu who operates the Tree Lodge at Sikumi in Gwayi and Green Shango Environment Trust director Mr Daniel Sithole led an initiative to clear the litter as they urged people to desist from illegal dumping of litter.
This is one of the incidents as there are similar heaps of rubbish such as scrap metal and rubble from building material dumped on roadsides or in the bush.
“We spotted the litter as we were driving along the road.
This had become an eyesore as it consisted of plastic and writing papers dumped by unknown road users despite the area being a protected wildlife area.
Some of the papers showed they could be from a foreign country and we suspect the motorist had just imported a truck and dumped the load of rubbish.
“We then sought help and collected the garbage, all bio-degradable material we buried in a pit and kept the plastics so that efforts will be made to link up with those into plastic recycling,” said Mr Sithole.
He encouraged citizens especially motorists to desist from throwing litter in open spaces especially at a time when the country is even encouraging recycling as a way of conserving the environment, one of the key tenets of Vision 2030.
“As an environmentalist I encourage all Zimbabweans not to dump waste particularly in wildlife areas.
Let’s make sure our highways are clean and use lay-by bins.
Rubbish has both physical and toxicological implications on animal life and the environment.
Animals feed on plastic which is not digestible and this is lethal.
We have engaged nearby tourism and wildlife operators so that we clean the area before baboons scatter everything,” he said.
Mr Mathuthu said plastic waste has serious negative impacts on the environment and tourism as it affects wildlife.
“We cleared some of the litter especially the kaylites and plastic.
Some of the papers have contact details and we have recovered these in case there will be need for follow-ups.
We are not happy and wish the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) could act and use available statutes to address such behaviour,” he said.
EMA Matabeleland North provincial manager Mrs Chipo Mpofu-Zuze said investigations would be carried out, as she warned against illegal dumping of litter saying those who do so risk being charged under the Environmental Management Act and other statues that prohibit littering.
She said littering could attract a fine of up to Level 14 depending on a number of factors like the toxicity and quantities of the dumped waste.
“Implications include contamination of water bodies if washed by runoff, threat to livestock and wildlife health.
There have been reports of plastics being found in stomachs of dead elephants, blockage of drains in municipalities and flash floods before.
Litter is also a threat to human health as waste could be breeding places for diseases carrying vectors.
“We have many legal statutes that guide in such scenarios and someone can be charged for dumping litter along the road or in undesignated areas,” she said.
Motorists are also mandated to ensure that no litter is thrown from the vehicle through the window.
According to the Environment Management Act, “No person shall discharge or dispose of any wastes, whether generated within or outside Zimbabwe, in such a manner as to cause pollution to the environment or ill health to any person.
Any person who discharges or disposes of any wastes in contravention of any measure or standard prescribed in terms of Section 69 shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to imprisonment for a period of not more than five years or to a fine of not more than five million dollars or to both such fine and such imprisonment.”
Mrs Mpofu-Zuze said EMA is still enforcing and encouraging motorists to carry litter bins.
In some cases, the environmental agency joins police at roadblocks where vehicle inspections are done especially on public passenger conveyances to enforce and also raise awareness on the need to use or have bins.
-@ncubeleon.
