Efforts should be made to educate and sensitize the waste generators about the impacts of their waste on the environment and its livability as well as what they can do or change to achieve the sustainable development goal of their community.
By Team PlastiX
Recommendation 1
Increase efficiency of process: CUT THE MIDDLEMAN
1.1 Create more of a circular model rather than a linear model, including Life Cycle Assessment for your outputs and rethinking your Supply Chain Structure.
1.2 Engage the general public in the waste management plans and strategies.
Efforts should be made to educate and sensitize the waste generators about the impacts of their waste on the environment and its livability as well as what they can do or change to achieve the sustainable development goal of their community. Since most disposal sites in developing African countries are generally located in peri-urban areas to manage waste from the cities, city dwellers are often not fully aware of or concerned about the impacts of their waste disposal. Suggested platforms: radio, social media, Online TV channels, etc.
1.3 Engage people at the niche level into waste sorting at the source, followed by subsequent collection and transformation into plastic-based construction bricks. This will help alleviate poverty, curb illegal disposal of waste, and discourage illegal settlement construction, shifting the community towards a more sustainable environment. The financial aspect of such an endeavour should be executed through a public-private partnership due to its empowering power role upon the local population.
1.4 Incentivize plastic collection through a Cashback system Cash for Trash" (paying cash to individuals who collect and bring plastic).
These individuals can be informal recycling sector workers, small enterprise waste collectors, general population, and employees.
1.5 Use reverse vending machines in places like schools, malls, main community centers, public places, etc.
The "bring waste collection system" is used in Kampala where the waste generators have to take their waste to a particular collection point. Commercial areas like markets are well defined and people can dispose of waste at any time. On the other hand, in residential areas, residents have to take the waste to the collection vehicles at the time of collection. This waste collection system is useful for ensuring the collection of waste from areas that cannot be reached by the vehicles. However, it discourages people who are far from the collection points from taking their waste to these points, resulting in the disposal of waste in abandoned areas or water channels.
An important measure to increase waste collection is the increase in the number of collection vehicles or number of trips made per vehicle. Nonetheless, for optimum functioning of the private sector in waste management, a better policy framework should be developed to regulate private actors and ensure that the public's needs are met. Specifically, provision of incentives to private waste collectors would be useful in increasing their efficiency during waste collection.
