Stakeholder meeting on the ‘Urban Municipal Council Solid Waste Management Regulations 2019’ and ‘Adoption of Segregation Incentive Waste Management Model in Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania’

Date: August 1, 2019 

A stakeholder meeting was jointly organized by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Zanzibar Environmental Management Authority (ZEMA) on August 1, 2019 to discuss the Urban Municipal Council Solid Waste Management (SWM) Regulation, 2019 with all municipal councils of Zanzibar and 5 municipal councils from Mainland Tanzania. CSE had worked with ZEMA to prepare this regulation for the island. The programme also observed the launch of the full Shaurimoyo project which is operational for all households (626) now in the area. 

The meeting was inaugurated by Honorable MihayoJumaNhunga, Deputy Minister of State, Second Vice President’s Office, Shri N.S Rana, Vice Consul, Consulate General Of India, Zanzibar, Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director General, CSE and ShehaMjaja, Director, ZEMA followed by the release of the brochure on Decentralized solid waste management pilot project in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The meeting was attended by delegates from municipal councils of mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar; National Environment Management Council, Tanzania; the officials of ZEMA, Department of Environment (DoE), Zanzibar Urban Services Project (ZUSP), officials from the Department of Agriculture and other allied departments Ministry of Lands, Water, Energy and Environment attended the programme. Altogether, 45 officials attended the programme.  

Sessions: 

The following sessions were taken during the meeting:

A) Inaugural Session:

1. Welcome Address: The welcome address was given by ShehaMjaja, Director General, ZEMA. Addressing the meeting, ShehaMjaja, Director General, ZEMA thanked CSE for contributing to this cause and said that this association shall be useful in transforming Zanzibar. ‘The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar are highly satisfied and appreciate with long term, historical and wonderful collaboration and cooperation with CSE, India and its officials’, said Mjaja.
   
   
2. Background of CSE-ZEMA collaboration: Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director General, CSE addressed on the need to replicate the work happening at Shaurimoyo in different parts of Zanzibar. ‘In about two years’ time, not only whole of Shaurimoyo (about 626 households) has adopted the segregation incentive waste management model but the local co-operative has also been incentivized from the sale of compost and recyclables. ‘The compost from Shaurimoyo pilot work is of really good quality and there is a need to promote it as well as to push for more such projects in Zanzibar’, said Bhushan. He further appreciated the new regulation on SWM which adopts the principle of segregation, reuse and recycle and would further change the landscape of waste management.
   
   
3. Remark by Hon. Consulate General of India: Shri N.S Rana, Vice Consul, Consulate General of India, Zanzibar appreciated the efforts and expressed his gratitude. ‘In India, the countrywide cleanliness mission called the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)’ has been one of the key missions of the government since its launch in 2014 which has been successful in addressing issues of sanitation and cleanliness. I am glad CSE has brought the learnings of their work on waste management from India to Zanzibar to strengthen waste management here.’ he added.
   
   
4. Keynote speech: The keynote speech was given by the Honorable MihayoJumaNhunga, Deputy Minister of State, Second Vice President’s Office. ‘Zanzibar is now revamping its waste management infrastructure and regulation while implementing the use of economic instruments and implementation of polluter pays principles in disposal of wastes. The economic situation of our people is not good and we cannot incur excessive cost to them without first considering their livelihood status. But we can begin to raise awareness and inject incentives in waste segregation, recycling and composting. We take this opportunity to thank the CSE from India who are directly engaged in supporting Zanzibar to tackle its waste problems by working on the new regulation and the Shaurimoyo initiative on waste management.’ the minister said. 

B) Site visit at Santana playground, Shaurimoyo, Zanzibar: The participants and officials visited the Shaurimoyo site where the pilot project is operational. All workers of the Shaurimoyo Waste Management Society who are instrumental to this pilot were felicitated at the site. The municipal councils were further sensitized on the need for adoption of segregation incentive waste management systems along with the implementation of the new regulation. ‘We are highly appreciated of the efforts made by Zanzibar inconsultation with CSE and are keen to adopt it in the mainland’, said Dr. Vedast M Makota, Assistant Administrative Secretary, Kigoma Region, Tanzania.

C) Session on the Urban Municipal Council Solid Waste Management (SWM) Regulation, 2019 and discussions: Major provisions of the Urban Municipal Council SWM Regulation, 2019 was presented by MzeeKhamisJuma, Assistant Director, ZUMC. He further explained how the regulations have four important parts consisting of preliminary provisions, solid waste practices & services, solid waste transportation, solid waste disposal & diversion along with schedule which talks about general offence & penalty.

Outcomes:

In Zanzibar, all the municipal will further adopt this SWM Regulation, 2019 and start implementing it. Meanwhile, ZEMA is further replicating the decentralised pilot on waste management in Pemba Island. Also, North B Municipal council in association with Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors (ZATI) will work towards adopting the decentralised waste management pilot model especially for the waste generated from the hotel industry.

Participants and officials from mainland Tanzania are very keen and interested to undertake this project in mainland Tanzania.  As the next step, the document on SWM regulations shall be shared with the mainland who shall then take it up to their departments/Ministries/Authority for further action.