Lubango — The Ministry of the Environment intends to replicate Lubango's door-to-door rubbish collection model in other municipalities across the country, as it is sustainable and creates jobs, the minister Ana Paula de Carvalho said Tuesday in Huila Province.
Underway since 2018, the model has removed all rubbish containers from the urban centre, encouraged the creation of youth cooperatives and provided the delivery of three-wheeled motorbikes adapted for collection, making the city cleaner.
The model is also being implemented in Chibia, Matala, Humpata and Quilengues, also in Huíla Province, as well as in the provinces of Moxico and Uíge, which are applying the Huíla experience.
The cooperatives sign contracts with residents and map out their activities in all the city's neighbourhoods, leaving the compactors and containers only on the outskirts.
Speaking at the end of a two-day working visit to the southern province, the Environment minister admitted that it is a model that has made the city cleaner and more sustainable, not only because of selective collection, but also because of the valorisation of waste pickers.
"The city of Lubango has stood out in recent years with a successful model that can be replicated in other municipalities in the country, especially when it comes to valuing human capital, specifically the professionals involved in selective waste collection," she said.
The municipality of Lubango produces around 543 tonnes of waste per day, and the daily collection is 105 tonnes, which represents only 20% of the waste that goes to the Luyovo controlled rubbish dump.
Ten operators are involved in the process, employing 143 young people. A total of 52 motorbikes are available for hygiene and sanitation work.
As part of the strategy for the recovery of waste recyclers, the Ministry of the Environment launched the Project for the Social Insertion of Solid Waste Collectors (PICAR) in Huambo province on 10 February 2023.
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Currently, more than 15 million people around the world (around 1% of humanity) work in collecting, sorting and recycling waste generated by cities.
Waste has value because it is the raw material for new products. As a result, rubbish collection in Angola is growing, especially in Luanda and Huíla, where families have faced great difficulties in making a living.
