Gaborone City Council has entered into a twinning partnership with the Vesteras Stad Municipality of Sweden, aimed at enabling the GCC to achieve sustainable waste management systems and share technical expertise on waste management.
This was revealed by GCC Senior Public Relations Officer, Ethel Masilonyane in an interview with Sunday Standard aimed at finding out what GCC is planning to do to improve the problem of litter and waste collection in the capital city. Through the partnership, GCC will be able to set up a waste transfer station, waste recycling centre and waste sorting centre at the Gaborone old abattoir site in old industrial.
Masilonyane revealed that at the transfer station, waste delivered by collection vehicles will be processed by way of separation and compaction before being reloaded into larger haulage trucks to be dumped at Gamodubu landfill or any other final disposal site.
“This will facilitate more efficient usage of waste collection vehicles and help reduce loss of man hours. Through this arrangement, our waste collection fleet will spend more time providing waste collection services as opposed to travelling long distances transporting waste to the disposal site,” said Masilonyane.
The facility will also provide opportunities for handling of recyclable materials that have been separated from the mixed waste. Through this project members of the community will be expected to practice separation of waste at source / point of generation.
“People will be expected to keep recyclable material separate from the rest of the waste. In that manner recyclable material will remain clean and free of contaminants,” she said.
The same material will be accommodated at the recycling center for collection by companies and individuals dealing in waste reuse. Masilonyane explained that the project will benefit the environment by reducing the volume of material to be dumped at Gamodubu landfill. This will also prolong use of the landfill.
“Recycling will also create employment and act as an educational tool for individuals,” said Masilonyane in conclusion.
