CHAPTER 7: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF DATA FOR RESEARCH QUESTION 3. 118
7.4 Group B: Poor solid waste disposal 133
7.4.1. Identification of problem and plan 133
The causes of poor solid waste disposal, as identified by group B, included:
Poor design of bins
Council failing to collect garbage regularly once a week
Large number of vendors
Dumping of mainly perishables such as vegetables, oranges and tomatoes
Overpopulation of the market against a low demand of market produce
Close proximity of the market to dust roads
Vending of all kinds of products such as bottled water, bottled drinks, bottled cans
Poor toilet facilities at the market
Lack of running water in the market
Lack of recycling facilities at the market
I present data from the photo-narrative and then relate it to data from the reflective diaries. Thereafter, I present supporting literature.
Photograph Bi. Depicting an overflowing bin at the market in Masvingo
The three-walled structure, is considered to serve as a bin in the Chitima vegetable market – Masvingo city. Vendors try to confine the waste they dispose within the three walls. The waste thrown comprises banana stems, sugar can stems and leaves, tomatoes, cabbages, plastic materials and old bags. All these waste products come from the market. (PN-i).
Photograph Bii. Revealing dirt outside the bin provided.
Waste that has been accumulating outside the bin for some time. This means that the waste is not collected on a regular basis. Weeds can be seen to have grown tall and dried outside the structure.
Metal structures have been dumped outside the bin as well. Apart from being a market for vegetables vendors also sell live chickens. It is unsightly, unpleasant, stinks. This waste poses serious health and environmental problems, people can get ill. The authorities responsible for waste collection are neglecting their duties. They do not conform to the bylaws or check up on vendors, I wonder if they ever bother to encourage recycling. (PN-Bii)
From the photo-narratives above it is obvious that the excessive accumulation of solid waste stems primarily from the waste not being collected regularly (The authorities responsible for waste collection are neglecting their duties, accumulating outside the bin for some time, waste generated is not collected). The accumulated waste poses a huge problem at the market (unsightly, unpleasant, stink) and it is a health hazard (serious health and environmental problems). Furthermore, the lack of attention to, or neglect of, the market area comes to the fore (Weeds can be seen to have grown tall and dried outside the structure). The accumulation of waste, the poor design structure of the bin (three-sided wall) and the tall weeds are symptoms of the ailing infrastructure in the Masvingo municipality.
The following excerpts from the reflective diary reinforce the responses from the photo-narratives
This accumulated waste is due to poor service delivery by the municipality. The waste is not collected regularly (RD-Bi)
The lack of proper bins and the number of bins available for such a large market is worrying. What are the vendors supposed to do with their garbage, where and how must they dispose of it? What’s irritating is that no one seem to care. There are maggots, flies or cockroaches, the stench is unbearable, and the diseases that can be spread. It is sad the poor are always disadvantaged and they are forced to cope and survive (RD-Biii)
The above excerpts reveal that in Masvingo there are limited resources (both human and infrastructure) for waste collection (poor service delivery by the municipality) and inadequate storage facilities or bins (three sided walled structured, is considered to serve as a bin). This means that the Masvingo municipality is not meeting their refuse collection obligation. The above excerpts imply the multiple challenges encountered by vendors and people who go to the market, such as exposure to unpleasant decaying matter (the stench is unbearable) and organisms (maggots, flies or cockroaches) that can spread diseases. It can be seen that the Masvingo Municipality is not adequately meeting their refuse collection obligations, possibly due to financial constraints. The above finding concurs with that of Nyarai, Willard, Moses and Ngenzile (2016), who assert that in Zimbabwe’s cities and towns, solid waste management has reached crisis levels as there is a mismatch between planning and policy implementations and this is worsened by financial problems and the lack of human and physical resources.
In terms of learning about EE, is can be seen that group B learnt about poor disposal of solid waste by observation (waste is not collected regularly) by their sense of smell (stench is unbearable); situational analysis then led them to make deductions (the number of bins available for such a large market, poor service delivery) and arrive at conclusions (maggots, flies or cockroaches, the stench is unbearable, and the diseases that can be spread). They also critiqued the poor service delivery and the design of the bin structure. The affective domain associated with learning EE is also evident. The members of group B were sensitised to the challenge in the environment and the daily struggles that the market community has to deal with (what’s irritating is that no one seem to care; it is sad the poor are always disadvantaged and they are forced to cope and survive).
Overwhelmed by the extensive volume of solid waste matter, the presence of maggots, flies and cockroaches as well as the overpowering stench of the decaying organic matter, group B planned to burn the waste outside the ‘bin’ as is evident in the excerpt from the reflective diary:
If we burn the garbage we will get rid of the stench, the flies and the waste, (RD-Bii).
It is evident that Group B sees burning as a viable solution to disposal of waste as outlined in the plan below.