Community-led Solutions: Empowering Residents for Sustainable Waste Management in Lilongwe

Waste Situation in Lilongwe

Lilongwe city, with a population of around 989,318, generates approximately 250 metric tons of waste daily. Waste management is a significant challenge, with only 55% of the waste being collected by local authorities and private operators. The Lilongwe city council faces limitations and covers only 25% of residential areas due to factors such as financial constraints. Illegal waste disposal practices, such as dumping in rivers, roadside areas, and public spaces, have become common, leading to health and environmental issues. The waste problem is expected to worsen, tripling by 2025 due to population growth and urbanization trends, intensifying the urgency for effective waste management solutions.

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“Rapid population growth and increased urbanization have  led to an increase in waste generation and pressure on the level of service  the city can provide to its residents,” - Thokozani Mkaka,  LCC’s deputy director of health and cleaning services. ^[1]

Solid Waste Management

Solid waste generation has exceeded the current infrastructural capacity of Lilongwe City Council (LLC), and the resulting effect has been the degeneration in the quality of solid waste management.^[2]

Existing Challenges

‍Most residents in the peri-urban areas of Lilongwe dispose of their waste in locations such as roadsides, open spaces, river banks, drains, and around homes.  The Waste Collection Rate (WCR) in Lilongwe City fluctuates between 10% and 30%. This implies that, out of a daily waste production ranging from 500 to 600 tons, the city manages to collect only 50 to 150 tons of MSW each day. The inability to collect the entire daily output of MSW compels the population to resort to environmentally unsuitable disposal methods.[3]

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Initiatives with Solid Waste Management

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Initiatives by the Government

The involvement of independent/private waste pickers

The city council expanded public-private partnerships for solid waste management. The involvement of individual private companies in waste management has presented a significant opportunity to reduce waste management challenges in the city.

Initiatives on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

The Malawi Green Corps (MGC) Initiative, implemented by the UNDP in collaboration with the Government of Malawi and Catholic Relief Services (CRS),focuses on sustainable waste management in 10 districts, including Lilongwe. The project engages youth in rehabilitating degraded areas and waste hotspots, providing green entrepreneurship training in waste management.[4]

The Pollutants to Cash initiative trains women in compost making, reducing trash in Lilongwe slums, and creating a cleaner urban environment and helping preserve the city’s water resources.[5]

Another project called RESET, led by Concern Worldwide in partnership with ECOGEN and CCODE, installs small-scale biodigesters in Urban Lilongwe to produce biogas and fertilizer from organic waste.

The International Conservative and Clean-up Management (ICCM) aims to transform waste into opportunities through education and infrastructure development. ICCM collaborates with Waste Aid to train entrepreneurial women in waste utilization, promoting financial independence and community-based waste management[6].

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Initiatives by Community members

In 2018, Lilongwe residents, in collaboration with local authorities and the Malawi Government's National Climate Change Programme, established two waste transfer stations in Area 24 and Area 25 townships[7].These stations facilitate sorting, recycling, and composting of solid waste collected from surrounding areas, generating income by selling recycled and composted products. This initiative has reduced waste at city dumping sites, created reusable materials, and improved the overall environment.

A Lilongwe-based youth group led by Ambassadors Charity Trust (ACT) is rolling out a project under Lilongwe City waste Management project called “Lilongwe city Nyasi Mayazi” [8]which focuses on general sweeping activities and ensuring that people do not litter everywhere in the bus depot.

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Community led solutions: What should residents do?

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• Promoting digging of rubbish pits for each household: Every household should take the responsibility to dig their own rubbish pit and use it. This helps instill a mindset shift towards responsible waste handling at the household and community level.
• ‍Young people should collect waste from households: Involving young people creates employment opportunities for them, but also cultivates a sense of environmental responsibility from an early age. ‍
• With the help of the city council, residents should facilitate land identification for waste disposal: Through collaboration with the city council, residents can play a pivotal role in identifying suitable land for waste disposal.

• Leaders should sensitize community members on waste management: As influencers within the community, it positions them to shape attitudes, encourage positive behaviour, and make the way for amore informed approach to waste management at a community level.

• ‍Participate in sustainable waste management practices/activities/ programs: Initiatives that transform waste into valuable resources, such as compost or briquettes, contribute to both waste reduction and the creation of environmentally friendly alternatives.

• ‍Community members should recycle and segregate waste: Community members should engage in waste segregation and recycling as components of effective waste management. Recycling involves the process of converting waste materials into reusable products, thereby reducing the consumption of raw materials and minimizing the environmental impact associated with waste disposal. 

On the other hand, waste segregation refers to the systematic separation of different types of waste at the source, typically at the household level. This involves categorizing waste into distinct bins or containers based on its composition, such as organic, recyclable, and non-recyclable materials. Waste segregation facilitates more efficient recycling processes, as it streamlines the collection of materials that can be repurposed or recycled while minimizing contamination of non-recyclable waste. By embracing these practices, community members actively participate in creating more sustainable and environmentally friendly waste management systems.

Conclusion

Waste management initiatives in communities are hindered by a lack of focus on waste innovation and entrepreneurial skills. While various government and NGO efforts target waste reduction, the untapped potential for income-generating activities from waste is evident. This calls for initiatives to transform waste into valuable resources, including energy and compost manure, coupled with raising awareness and capacity-building programs for youth and women in waste handling and entrepreneurship. Government support for youth-led waste collection businesses is crucial, and the involvement of Small and Medium Enterprises is highlighted for market-driven waste management solutions. Overall, proper waste management, if approached innovatively, can create income opportunities, especially in low-income settlements.

[1]Magoum I. (2021). MALAWI:Lilongwe has its solid waste management plan. Retrieved from https://www.afrik21.africa/en/malawi-lilongwe-has-its-solid-waste-management-plan/

[2] Assa M (2013). (EmergingSolid Waste Market in Lilongwe Urban Malawi. JDS Africa. Retrieved from https://jsd-africa.com/Jsda/Vol15No4-Summer2013B/PDF/Emerging%20Solid%20Waste%20Market%20in%20Lilongwe%20Malawi.Assa%20Maganga.pdf

[3] Lilongwe City Council (2021). Sanitary and Drainage Improvement Strategyand Institutional Framework for Lilongwe City. Retrieved from https://lcc.mw/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/E1345_D4_Draft_Sanitation-Drainage-Strategy-Institutional-Framework_20210614_FINAL.pdf

[4] UNDP.2022. Turning trash into treasure: UNDP investing in wastemanagement to create youth opportunities.

[5] UnitedNations Climate Change.2023. From Pollutants to Cash: urban Poor Women TurningWaste into Wealth-Malawi.

[6] https://www.iccmanagement.org/

[7] Pemba P. (2020). Solvinggarbage problems in Malawi’s most populous city. UN Malawi. Retrieved from https://malawi.un.org/en/43003-solving-garbage-problems-malawis-most-populous-city

[8] ChisomoPhiri. Youth Group Launches City waste management project for hygiene promotion

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