Local Waste Initiatives Create Opportunities
With plastic production doubling in the past two decades, the challenge of plastic pollution in densely populated areas has never been more pressing. In response, local initiatives like Alitab’s Waste Transfer Station in Mbare is stepping up to tackle the issue at community level.
Published: 17.February, 2025 Last updated: 19.February, 2025
Zimbabwe's waste management capacity has been overwhelmed for over a decade, especially in high-density areas like Mbare. Residents face endless challenges, including overflowing landfills, littered streets, and pollution. To address this, the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund supported ALITAB's Waste Transfer Station in 2021, which enabled continuous plastic waste collection, cleaning, and recycling.
From Waste to Resource
In 2019, a baseline survey of waste generated by around 25,000 Mbare households was conducted to analyze the type and volume of waste generated at the household level. Community campaigns followed to educate residents on waste segregation and disposal. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) collaborated with ALITAB to train local volunteers to manage the waste station's operations, including washing and drying.
At the station, plastic waste is carefully sorted and washed, before being handed over to another group of workers in a nearby location.
The second team shred and extrude the material, converting what once littered streets into valuable raw materials like plastic pellets and extruded plastics.
Ondine Francis, Community trainer and designer at ALITAB«The more that we can get the waste, the plastic, especially up off the ground, the better it is for the community project that's running a recycling program. They can actually make money, they can feed their families, they can keep their kids in school.»
Overcoming challenges
Despite their efforts, the global price of virgin plastics has dropped, making recycled plastics less competitive. The political climate has also been challenging, as they lost access to one of their locations due to political protests.
Despite all hurdles, the community-driven project continued. By turning waste into opportunity, ALITAB are proving that sustainable solutions are not only possible but necessary. Their work stands as a beacon of hope, demonstrating that even the smallest actions can lead to profound change—one step at a time.
