Richmond Landfill(Ngozi Mine) a ticking time bomb or an under utilised recycling site?

By: Bright F. Zindove

Richmond Landfill (Ngozi mine) is situated in the northern fringes of the city of Bulawayo, between Richmond and Cowdray Park Suburbs. The dumpsite is home to more than 400 households. 

Residents residing near the site and surrounding suburb are making a living from the dumpsite. Early in the morning, from my backyard view, men, women and children can be seen going to work, at Ngozi Mine, some carrying big bags for packaging whatever they could scavenge for resale and recycling. This illustrates that the dumpsite is a place of ‘opportunity’ and people are making a living out of it, through refuse collection and recycling ♻️. 

Environmental and health wise, one can say the site is a ticking time bomb. Residents from surrounding areas wake-up in a cloud of smoke. They inhale hazardous carbons from Ngozi Mine, and this exposes them to respiratory disease. Some of these disease may affect them in the coming years. 

In accordance with the World Health Organization’s guidelines, the air quality in Zimbabwe is considered moderately unsafe. Most recent data indicate the country’s annual mean concentration of PM2.5 is almost double the recommended maximum of 10 µg/m3.

A double-edged sword indeed, which needs a peculiar solution from all stakeholders; residents, city father’s, non governmental organisations, media and government. The intervention should be a world class recycling factory, which is going to be a source of ‘opportunity’ and ‘defender of pollution.’ 

Disclaimer: These are the views of the writer and not the institution.