Environmentalists are suggesting setting up of policies to promote recycling waste products in order to enhance the effectiveness of the National Clean-up Day.
Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera launched the Day in the capital city of Lilongwe a week ago to encourage Malawians clean their surroundings.
Chakwera launched the initiative under the theme, A Clean Environment: My Right, My Responsibility.
During his address, Chakwera stressed on the need for the citizenry to take part in building a new Malawi and retain its lost glory of having some of the cleanest cities in the world.
He pointed at that the country has in the past couple of years failed in terms of managing its waste thereby leading to improper waste disposal that also puts the lives of communities at risk of diseases and harm.
Commenting on the initiative environmental activist Godfrey Mfiti described it as a good initiative citing the need for the waste that is collected to be recycled.
“This is a good initiative, but it will not be beneficial if the waste that is collected is not put to good use, there is a need for us to move forward and recycle the waste,” Mfiti said.
He further went on to add that proper waste management cannot only benefit Malawi by making it a waste free nation but also by creating job opportunities for the youth.
“We need to find ways of how we can mobilize communities to find ways of managing the waste by even engaging our counterparts in countries that are advanced in waste management and borrow a leaf from them.”
Echoing Mfiti’s sentiments is Gloria Majiga-Kamoto from the Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy (CEPA).
She highlights the need for the public to be properly made aware of the environmental impact of their failure to properly manage waste.
“Though the public might be to blame for this, we also need to know that they have not been made aware of the implications, therefore the government needs to enhance public awareness on the matter and how the citizenry can take part in recycling their waste materials,” Majga-Kamoto added.
The National Clean-Up Day will be observed across the country on the second Friday of every month with all Malawians urged to take about three hours off their schedules in order to clean their surroundings.
