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Thandeka Moyo, Chronicle Reporter 

THE Bulawayo City Council has established a weighbridge at Richmond landfill site popularly known as Ngozi Mine, the first of its kind in Zimbabwe, to help the local authority measure the amount of waste collected. 

The bridge will also help council charge private companies who use the landfill to dump their waste. 

Speaking during a service level benchmarking peer review event at the site on Wednesday last week, senior environmental officer Mr Nkanyiso Ndlovu said the bridge was an investment. 

“This dump site was founded in 1994 as the first in Zimbabwe and is now one of three that are found in the country. Besides the fact that it is non hazardous landfill, we have constructed a weighbridge which will help us weigh our waste as Bulawayo,” he said. 

Mr Ndlovu said the structure is now complete and council is waiting for the installation of electric connections for it to start running. 

“There are some sensors under the bridge which will generate readings to help us know how much we are depositing into this landfill. We will also use the bridge to charge private companies who deposit their waste here and therefore be able to plan accordingly,” he added. 

According to Mr Ndlovu, the landfill has a remaining life span of about seven to 10 years. 

Chitungwiza Town Clerk Mr George Makunde, who chairs the review committee, said other cities and towns should emulate good practices at BCC. 

“We are in Bulawayo as peers from the cities of Harare, Chitungwiza, Redcliff, Gweru, Marondera and Chegutu. The national team is also here to review the work that is being done by the Bulawayo City Council, which is the second largest city in Zimbabwe,” he said.

According to Mr Makunde, local authorities should focus on improving water supply, waste water management, solid waste management, roads and public lighting and corporate governance, areas that are key in service delivery. 

“Bulawayo’s progress in these areas will definitely impact the national outlook in terms of our performances as a nation and also our contribution to the entire continent. We are here to also emphasise the need for local authorities to work on the five key areas so they provide quality services,” he said.

—@thamamoe