Felix Matasva

A Manicaland-based youth oriented rights group, Manica Youth Assembly (MAYA) has called on Mutare City Council to formulate a food waste policy that ensures a cleaner environment and helps mitigate against the impacts of climate change.

Underdeveloped food waste disposal systems are a considerable factor in global greenhouse gas emissions which are the biggest factor driving climate change.

It is estimated that about 30 percent of food produced globally is either lost or wasted, accounting for about eight percent of emissions.

In Mutare, rotten tomatoes and other vegetables are inevitably thrown away to form mounds of bio-waste around main farm produce markets.

In a recent interview, MAYA programs officer Tinashe Muzama stressed the need for food waste collection centers in the city.

“Such centres are very important for a sustainable urban environment particularly in Mutare where the local authority struggles with the absence of effective waste management,” Muzama told EnviroPress.

He was speaking on the sidelines of an Urban Futures training workshop held in the city recently.

Muzama said food waste collection centres would help Mutare City Council to reduce landfill waste and lower methane gas emissions while creating employment opportunities for young people.

“Once we have efficient waste management, we achieve lower waste disposal costs for Mutare thus lessening the burden on rate payers. Investing in efficient food waste collection centres ultimately saves money by reducing waste management expenses,” he said.

Mutare City Council currently faces criticism for seeking borrowing powers to secure US$500 000 to establish a fuel service station at a time its other projects including Pungwe Breweries and Kentucky Farm are not performing.

“As youths, we call for projects that promote environmental stewardship within our city. Mutare should lead the way and become a good reference point for other local authorities,” Muzama said.

Proud Nyakuni, an environmental lawyer, who also participated in the workshop, said Mutare City Council’s 2025 budget should prioritise projects that promote a just transition from fossil fuels to green energy.

“An important aspect of food production and consumption is to ensure that we minimise wastage for the sake of environmental sustainability. Investing in a fuel service station is not a good initiative considering that there are many people who are already in that industry. We need projects that help us transition to cleaner and more reliable sources of energy like biogas,” Nyakuni said.