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Thursday March 28, 2024

‘Recycling Karachi’s 8-10 tonnes of daily garbage can reduce burden on landfills’

By Our Correspondent
July 01, 2022

Karachi is called the economic hub of Pakistan, where an estimated eight to 10 tonnes of garbage is generated daily, and if this garbage is recycled, it will not only reduce the burden on landfills but will also improve the health of people and the environment.

This observation was made at a workshop recently organised by Tearfund, a UK-based international humanitarian development organisation, at a hotel in Karachi. Asher Loyal, the project’s MELR Coordinator-Tearfund, said that despite numerous initiatives and investments in managing the solid waste of Karachi effectively and efficiently, the scale and scope of the problem meant that it was still a major threat to the health and safety of its residents. “This shows us the true challenge and the hard work constantly required.”

Junaid Bashir, stakeholder and community engagement coordinator at Tearfund, shared that Tearfund was implementing a model project with the support of the FCDO and in collaboration with her Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) in two districts of Karachi.

In this project, he stated, that two recycling hubs known as Haryali Hubs would process waste from an anticipated 24,000 households in total with the collaboration of the SSWMB, he said.

While addressing the participants, Tariq Nizamani, SSWMB’s executive director operations, commented that garbage was considered an asset and a resource around the world. “We had an outdated solid waste management system and the SSWMB was legislated into existence to modernise the waste management system in 2014.”

He further said that an MoU was signed between the Tearfund and the SSWMB a year ago for recycling garbage and manufacturing compost from organic waste and the Tearfund had completed its recycling hub in Baldia District and Keamari, and the hub at Sharafi Goth, District Malir, was progressing swiftly towards completion.

Professor Javed Shah, a renowned academician, said that that effective solid waste management could solve various problems related to climate change, and with commitment waste could be turned into a commodity for the benefit of many.

In his vote of thanks, Terill Massey, the project director-Tearfund, appreciated the support and collaboration of all stakeholders working on solid waste management and highlighted the commitment and efforts of the SSWMB and other key actors.

He stressed the need for solutions that would be owned and sustainable and expressed his hope that people would unite and address the issue of waste across the nation simply because it was in everyone’s best interest to do so. The workshop was attended by representatives of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, academia, civil society representatives, journalists and citizens.