The Machakos government has trained its eyes on dumpsites in the region as the county seeks to exploit waste for green and clean energy through recycling.
Governor Wavinya Ndeti on Saturday said dumpsites aren’t’ just about garbage but goldmines that should be fully exploited.
She said her government was working on tapping the gainful opportunities that can come out of dumpsites.
“Dumpsites are not just about garbage. These are goldmines. We can recover green and clean energy from dumpsites,” Ndeti said.
The county boss spoke when she presided over the launch of the enhanced county clean–up and issuance of safety equipment and vaccination exercise at Mlolongo town in Mavoko subcounty.
“Think of the thousands of tonnes of solid waste discharged in the environment every year. We have already initiated a public private partnership approach to make our solid waste a profit venture through sustainable recycling,” Ndeti said, adding that cleanliness was next to Godliness.
"Hygiene starts with you. I urge the residents of Machakos to take it upon themselves to keep the environment clean. A clean environment provides us a better opportunity to work towards achieving Chakula Mezani, Pesa Mfukoni,” Ndeti said.
She said her administration was alive to the need for a cleaner and greener environment in which ‘we bring up our families and do business’.
Ndeti said her government will establish and maintain a culture of cleanliness and environmental conservation.
“The well-being of our workers, especially the cleaners, is key to us. That is why we have started by vaccinating them to ensure their safety as they carry out this noble task,” Ndeti said.
“We have procured two doses for Hepatitis B and Tetanus vaccines for all our cleaners involved in solid waste collection and disposal. This will be done in the entire county.”
She said the county’s cleaners were last vaccinated six years ago.
“We have also procured more protective working gear and tools for our workers including overalls, gloves, reflectors, dust coats, rakes, wheelbarrows, brooms and liquid detergents. We are in the process of acquiring additional equipment for solid waste handling like trucks, skip loaders, and waste bins,” Ndeti said.
The governor said the clean–up will be conducted in the county’s three municipalities.
“Once I flag off the equipment, they will be taken to Machakos and Tala/Kangundo municipalities for a similar activity like what we are having here in Mavoko municipality,” she said.
She said the rapid pace at which the municipalities were growing in industry, real estate and infrastructure, had brought forth the challenge of handling both solid and liquid wastes.
Ndeti said the clean-up exercise will later move to the other subcounties.
“This continuous clean-up exercise also offers an employment opportunity for our people. In the next financial year, we will recruit at least 1,500 cleaners both youth and women in the municipalities and other subcounties. This will address the current deficit of workers. The fuel budget for the municipalities has also been scaled up to Sh100 million,” Ndeti said.
She said her administration was working on getting a lasting solution to address the challenge of inadequate dumpsites especially in the municipalities.
“In Kangundo/Tala for instance, we will identify a suitable land to be used. We will proceed with that once I have received the Lands Taskforce Report and their recommendations.
In Mavoko, we have the same challenge. We are at an advanced stage in our conversations with quarry owners on how we can rehabilitate some of the abandoned quarry sites. We can reclaim some of these lands and use them as dumpsites. In the process of reclaiming, we will employ environmentally friendly measures to mitigate the impact of climate change,” Ndeti said.
