The Lusaka city council (LCC) has encouraged the collection of plastics from rubbish sites as a recycling initiative.
Speaking in an interview with Lusaka Star, LCC Public Relations Officer George Sichimba said that the council encourages waste separation from household level.
We encourage this because apart from people making money out of waste, they are also helping to clean the environment,
Mr. Sichimba.
Mr. Sichimba further added that in the district there are people who are encouraging recycling on a small scale.
They buy from people who collect these plastic bottles and they are making other products from these plastics, such as dishes,
Mr. Sichimba.
He however emphasized the need for people to wear the correct attire as they carry out their recycling businesses.
People should be wearing gloves especially becuase they do not know what they may pick up, especially if they pick up from waste bins,
Mr. Sichimba.
Mr. Sichimba emphasized that the best practice is for waste to be separated from the source from the home, and sorted into the different categories for plastics, food products, organic matter glass and so on.
Meanwhile, Zambia Environmental Management Agency spokesperson, Friday Phiri has said that from an environmental point of view, it is not safe for people to collect waste from dump sites or waste bins.
It is actually a health hazard for anyone to go into a land fill to collect waste. if people go there they must ensure that they wear protective equipment, to preserve their health,
Mr. Phiri.
He added that it is not encouraged as it is not right for human beings to scavenge at the dump site.
Mr Phiri explains however, that government through statutory instrument 65 of 2018 is trying to encourage the recycling industry.
He said this is a way of ensuring that materials that are a nuisance to the environment such as plastic are always recycled rather than being created from raw materials.
Small scale recyclers usually collect used plastic materials from dust bins and landfills as a way to earn some extra income.