Malawi is one of the
world's least developed countries, ranked 170th out of 187 countries according
to the Human Development Index 2012 and is among the countries with
the highest population density in Africa with a population estimated to be 15
million inhabitants. https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/countries/malawi_en
With an increasing
population and not enough services within Lilongwe City Centre there is a huge
pressure on the environment damaging the land, waterways and bringing disease
because of mismanaged waste to the people. There are a lack of bins and waste sorting structures.
"City Council is
the main service provider of refuse collection. The participation of
private organizations in solid waste management services such as waste
collection and recycling is very limited."
Solid Waste Composition and Greenhouse Gases
Emissions Baseline Study in Lilongwe City, Malawi September 2016 written by
LCC, EAD, UNDP , NCCP and MNREM
International
Conservation and Clean up Management started recycling collections at the
beginning of 2017 and we are expanding. We are the only operator in town, educating
why it is necessary to recycle and getting clients to clean and separate all
recyclables for collection at a cost. We are also working with the
City Council Waste Transfer Stations (WTS's) to build the waste innovations
with the communities. The WTS’s were specifically constructed in areas of
little waste services and roads for the community to manage and develop their
own waste structures. Malawi has a society full of practical skilled people. There are often struggles to find work in Lilongwe, especially in the more rural areas but people lacking money can be more resourceful by cleaning and reusing the endless supply of managed waste at these WTS's. Our ICCM workshops facilitate ideas and designs to come from the
community to ensure ownership for their income generating projects. The designed devices will only be
a success with a need. The economy here lies
Poverty is one of the root causes of
environmental degradation in Malawi and is at the core of the government's
development agenda for the foreseeable future. Its alleviation is critical to natural
resource conservation, protection and sustainable utilization. As ICCM we believe Malawi has
plenty of natural resources including waste. Our research focuses on today's
technology to develop appropriate innovations of need to release the pressure
on the environment. Some designs we have built and are currently developing
are:
- Solar tubes to heat water naturally
- Household biogas digester so people can cook with biomass waste to reduce deforestation.
- Recycled paper making machinery to make recycled paper readily available for Governement schools
- Plastic formations of all types to our own equipment rather than more expensive imports
- Using tin cans to make affordable roofing tiles
ICCM are scaling up sustainably working alongside
Government, City Council and NGO's to extend environmental knowledge and create
holistic waste management systems within each area. There are many types
of programs and pathways that we can lead. Each activity is designed to create
awareness and income generating projects to ensure the waste management system
is holistic to improve the livelihoods of the people in the economically
deprived peri-urban and rural areas in Lilongwe.
For more information please check our website www.iccmanagement.org
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| Many tin cans are thrown away with these... |
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| ICCM have designed bins using recycled materials |
