The Lusaka City Council (LCC) says it will this Saturday, November 24, randomly give out awards to households who will be found with clean surroundings.
And the Council has also declared this Saturday as “NO PLASTIC DAY’ in line with President Edgar Lungu’s re-launch of the Keep Zambia Clean, Green and Healthy campaign by on 28th April, 2018.
Council Assistant Public Relations Manager Brenda Katongola says the exercise will be held in collaboration with key stakeholders such as Shoprite, Food lovers and Spur chain stores, among others in an effort to come up with strategies of making the city clean, green and healthy.
“Lusaka City Council starting this Saturday, November on 24th in collaboration with partners give out awards as one way of encouraging residents to keep their surroundings clean,” Ms. Katongola says in a statement, this evening
She discloses that the local authority has been participating in different activities and also creating awareness in motivating the members of the public to own the clean-up campaign.
She however observes that that many people especially at household level do not fully own the keep clean campaign.
“It has been noticed that many people especially at household level have not fully owned the campaign. Our Council has been engaging different stakeholders to ensure that the objective of keeping Zambia Clean, Green and Healthy is achieved,” she said.
On the No plastic campaign, Ms. Katongola says her local authority is working with the supermarkets in the city to help reduce the plastics given to customers when they buy merchandises.
“Reducing the amount of plastics or carrier bags in the environment given to customers if awareness is raised will gradually culminate into no plastic day not only this month but beyond, “ she states in the same statement.
The Council Assistant Public Relations Manager has thanked residents, companies, business houses, government institutions, schools and churches who have been participating in the keep Zambia Clean, Green and Healthy Campaign.
“The Council is encouraging all residents and business entities in the city of Lusaka to continue subscribing to solid waste and avoid illegal dumping of waste,” Ms. Katongola said.
Ms. Katongola urged the people not to relent in their efforts of achieving a clean green and healthy Zambia by working together.
“….randomly give out awards to households..” The reason why LCC will be doing it at random is because they cannot do it logically, since they have lost track of street names and house numbers. They are allowing people to build haphazardly, so the whole town planning is in a mess.
I agree totally. Town and country planning is very important. Street names are important too. Zambia is a terrible sight. Driving out of town is sore for the eyes. They have allowed shack buildings along the major roads. No beauty at all. Ugly structures. Sad very sad. Let alone those plastics and plastic bottles. They are part of Zambia.
They give in Chibolya or Kanyama
What about sanitary pads day?
Asking the supermarkets to reduce the number of plastics they give on ‘no plastic day’. How exactly will this work? The supermarkets should be trying to reduce the number of plastics they give on any day. On a designated day like ‘no plastic day’ they should either have no plastics at all or sell them to customers who insist on plastics and at a prohibitive price like K1 per bag. This will discourage people to use plastic bag unnecessarily and insteas encourage reuse of plastic bags. Eventually this should be backed by legislation to make it enforceable like on other countries such as Rwanda and Uganda.
What will it be then, paper day?
The government should ban the manufacturing, importation and use of plastics. We should go back to use of calico and paper bags.
No plastic period
People should return to the old system of caring bags and basket when going for shopping if we are going to save or environment.
Another issue is beverages in platic bottles. This has to be dwelt with a gently.
I hope the No platic day in lusaka will be extended to plastic water satchets.
no planning, no thought put into it, … just a random act to be seen as doing something. this problems needs a well thought out long term solution, not something as random as this.
it’s a Zambia way of doing things. just shout and be seen to be doing something.
you think Kigali had it easy to have the issue of plastics worked out?
there are a lot of parties involved in this and they all need to be at the table. starting from the grocery store retailers to the Soweto market traders
you can’t just say we’ll give a reward to a household that’s deemed clean. and what happens after tomorrow?
yaba!
Let’s emulate Rwanda and Kenya in banning plastic bags.