Harare City Council is failing to maintain consistent and regular trash collection after the Government's "Operation Chenesa Harare" initiative ended.
Now many weeks pass between collections in some suburbs.
This has led to the reappearance of illegal dumps, raising concerns about potential health hazards. Residents across the city are frustrated by uncollected garbage, creating a health time bomb.
Piles of refuse have accumulated for months at bus termini in the city centre, emitting unpleasant odours.
The Avenues area is not spared, with the old illegal dump emerging along Patrice Lumumba Street (formerly Third Street) due to the lack of collection. That dump was cleared during Operation Chenesa Harare.
The situation is particularly dire in Mbare, where garbage is piling up, especially at Mbare Musika bus terminus, a busy hub during public holidays.
Warren Park residents have resorted to dumping their waste in open spaces and near public boreholes due to the council's inaction. Residents say the last official collection occurred four months ago, so they sneak out at night to dispose of trash.
Some dumps are located near boreholes used by residents to fetch water, like the one along 6th Avenue in Warren Park 2 with residents' attempts to have the site cleared being unsuccessful.
Another concerning location was a dumpsite within a bus terminus near local shops, with two nearby water points used by residents from both Warren Park 1 and 2.
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Reports of contaminated boreholes in the suburb have heightened concerns about disease outbreaks during the rainy season.
The residents have expressed fear of illness due to the council's negligence in waste collection.
Mr Joshua Dezha from Glen Norah A said council knows about the situation, but was failing to collect the refuse in his area.
"I have called the district officer several times for help and nothing has materialised. This a serious health hazard and a problem to the residents as diapers are thrown on an illegal dumpsite.
"Garbage is piling and the other link road is almost closed. The last collection was last year but they collected the inside row and left the other side," he said.
Council spokesperson Mr Stanley Gama acknowledged the resurgence of illegal dumps and assured residents that efforts were underway to address the issue.
"We acknowledge that the refuse is accumulating in the city and we will be collecting the refuse ward by ward. We are purchasing 15 refuse compactors to collect refuse in the city and currently we are hiring equipment to collect refuse, pending the arrival of our compactors.
"We are now also arresting people that are found dumping refuse everywhere and shop owners that are dumping refuse at skip bins in the city centre because they are meant for individuals. We also have 24-hour-a day refuse collection exercise whereby we collect refuse in the city centre during the night," he said.
