Kabwe Mayor calls for collaboration in waste management
ENVIRONMENTBy Lusaka Times — Lusaka Times
Kabwe Mayor Gary Domingo has issued a passionate appeal for enhanced collaboration among stakeholders, corporate entities, and residents to address the growing challenge of waste management in the district. Speaking during recent civic engagements, Mr. Domingo stressed that maintaining a clean and green environment cannot be left to the local authority alone, noting that a collective approach is vital for public health, economic growth, and the municipality's broader developmental aspirations. The newly installed mayor pointed out that Kabwe currently faces a massive backlog of uncollected waste, presenting significant environmental and health risks if left unchecked. With seasonal rains approaching, municipal authorities are under mounting pressure to clear illegal dumpsites and prevent choked drainage systems that often trigger waterborne outbreaks such as cholera and typhoid. Mr. Domingo noted that while the council's public health department continues to deploy teams for routine garbage collection, the sheer volume of indiscriminate dumping requires active community participation and robust private sector partnerships. As part of remedial measures, the Kabwe Municipal Council is urging corporate institutions to step up their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives by donating waste bins, skip bins, and essential sanitation equipment. Furthermore, the local authority has implored residents to utilize designated disposal sites, refrain from illegal dumping, and actively report accumulation hotspots by sharing details with municipal teams. Mayor Domingo reiterated that transforming Kabwe into a clean, competitive, and investment-friendly commercial hub hinges on a shared civic culture and open communication channels between citizens and local leadership. Local governance experts and civil society organizations have welcomed the mayor's proactive stance, noting that chronic sanitation bottlenecks have historically plagued Zambia's old mining towns. Rap