The Dodoma City Council has inked a contract with a Zimbabwe-based Hydro Craft Power Africa Company to process waste and produce gas energy and fertiliser.
This was stated yesterday in the city by the Mayor of Dodoma, Professor Davis Mwamfupe, during the cleanliness exercise at the Bonanza market located in Chamwino Ward.
The event marked the beginning of the national cleanliness week being held from November 15 to 19, aimed at addressing environment pollution.
Prof Mwamfupe said the waste harvesting contract entered into with the company aims to recycle the waste produced in the city.
"This company's main job will be to recycle waste. So here we find waste, instead of calling it waste, we turn it into an opportunity and it will become money, there will come a time when we will find the waste, we will store it and sell it," explained Prof Mwamfupe.
The city mayor further said the company will process waste from Dodoma city dumping sites and turn it into gas and fertiliser.
He called for proper organisation by leaders at all levels to ensure that people clean their environment.
"Cleanliness is a habit, if you see by-laws being enacted to force people to clean, you should know that there is a problem, people must have habits of loving cleanliness and not being forced by those laws. But for those who are stubborn, let us use the laws; even though we don't want to get to that point," he explained.
On his part, the Director of Disease Control in the Ministry of Health, Beatrice Mtayoba, emphasised that the issue of hygiene should be sustainable as it will reduce infectious diseases such as cholera by more than 70 per cent.
She also asked the environmental officers at all levels to increase their efforts in educating and motivating cleaning activities and conducting regular inspections, especially in the market area, bus stands, and all populated areas to ensure the environment is clean.
"Cleanliness should neither be according to the will of a person, nor a law, make sure there is a good infrastructure of ditches, toilets and running water for washing, also underground water sources should be protected because they are a source of diseases if they are interfered with," she said.
