RWANDA – Rwanda and the government of Luxembourg have launched a waste recycling and management project that will recycle, improve city solid waste control and hazardous waste management in Kigali city.
Codenamed “Waste to Resources”, the three-year project aims at adopting integrated sustainable waste management methods including waste segregation, transfer, sorting, treatment, recovery, and disposal, in an integrated manner and business models to increase the capacity of the waste management system.
The launch of the waste to resource project follows Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Ministry of Environment and the Government Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in April 2020.
The MoU aims at strengthening cooperation and technology transfer between the two countries and to embark on Waste to Resource project by improving Municipal solid Waste (MSW) and Hazardous Waste Management in Rwanda.
“No waste should be wasted. What communities call waste, will be recycled to produce goods that can be reused in the households.
“The dumped waste can give us energy, fertilizers, construction materials, electric poles and many other products,” Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, Minister of Environment said.
She added that this is a pilot project which will be rolled out national wide upon its success.
The waste to resource project was launched by Rwanda’s Ministry of Environment in collaboration with Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), European Union, Institute of Transportation and Development Policy, and We Do Green organization in Kigali city on Tuesday 24.
According to available figures from the City of Kigali, waste that are dumped at Nduba landfill sites have increased from 141.38 tons annually in 2006 to 495.76 tons in 2015 due to population growth and rapid urbanization.
“The waste recycling and management is not done properly; we expect to get quality recycled products and fertilizers that can serve our community if put to good use.
“Currently, we have private companies that collect waste door to door, but they don’t sort it as needed. We shall work with other interested private companies that will be able to sort wastes for proper recycling. This means also job creation,” Pudence Rubingisa, the Mayor of City of Kigali said.
Recently, the Private Sector Federation (PSF) announced its contribution of Rwf690.9 million (US$692, 000) for collecting, transportation, disposal and recycling of single-use plastics in the next five years.
The project dubbed “Sustainable Management of single-use Plastics Project” was launched as Rwanda celebrated World Environment Day under the theme “Ecosystem Restoration”.
The new development is in line with Law N° 17/2019 of 10/08/2019 relating to the prohibition of manufacturing, importation, use and sale of plastic carry bags and single-use plastic items.
The law aims to protect the environment, the economy and the health of the people from throwaway plastics.
Under the project, PSF will support resource mobilization from the private sector institutions and make sure that every eligible institution/company contributes on time.
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