European Union invests K50 million in Lilongwe waste management
The European Union (EU) has pumped K50 million in the construction of two waste transfer stations in Area 13 and 7 in Lilongwe.
EU Ambassador to Malawi, Marchel Gerrmann, said one of the most challenging targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction and recycling of waste.
He made the remarks during the celebration of World Environmental Day at local level on Tuesday in Lilongwe.
Gerrmann said to reduce wastes, there is need to deal with hazardous waste in a more responsible way.
He further said the construction of the facility is part of a programme designed to contribute to national efforts of achieving goals on water and sanitation.
“The EU has been supporting water and sanitation in Malawi since 2006. We are now in 2017 and, although strides have been made, health risks in our communities remain. These two stations will serve a number of communities and the distance [covered by] private operators working in the central and northern parts of Lilongwe will be reduced,” he said.
Lilongwe City Mayor, Desmond Bikoko, said the initial design of the dumping site was to be a restricted place where different categories of waste would be treated and separated so as to ensure that the place does not become a source of problems.
He said the city needs a land fill as opposed to the dumping site that is currently being used.
“This is another area that needs more support so that we should be able to satisfy the full sanitation chain,” he said.
Lilongwe City Council has a dumping site which receives about 20,754 tonnes of solid waste per annum.
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