K60 garbage fee too much – Kalingalinga residents

LINDA SOKO TEMBO writes

RESIDENTS of Kalingalinga Township in Lusaka have complained that the amount they are required to pay the community-based enterprises (CBEs) for solid waste collection from their homes is too high.

Some women told the Sun that not everyone could afford K60 per month because some did not have a steady income.

Agness Mulilo complained that not everyone was able to contribute the K60 fee per month, which was why most people in the community had resorted to throwing garbage everywhere such as roads, drainages and other people’s yards.  

Ms Mulilo said it was disheartening to see garbage everywhere posing a serious health hazard to the community.

“The Lusaka City Council must come up with reduced fees that the CBEs can charge for collecting garbage from the community. The residents feel the collection fees are too high and the only option they have is to throw garbage in drainages, roads and other people’s yards,” she said.

Rose Chanda said the other problem was that even in yards that had six houses in the same enclosure the CBEs wanted each household to contribute K60, which was not fair.

Ms Chanda appealed to LCC to consider reducing the fee to K20 per month because some people could not manage.

Some people’s monthly income was K500 and they had rentals and other responsibilities to attend to.

“There is too much garbage. No wonder the community looks dirty because of the solid waste that is being thrown in areas that are not designated for solid waste,” she said.

The Lusaka City Council has partnered with small-scale community-based enterprises to collect garbage in residential areas but the initiative is facing challenges such as resistance by members of communities.