Official suggests review of Strategic Plan for Urban Waste Management

 Luanda – The chairperson of Associação Nação Verde (Green Nation Association) Nuno Cruz recommended a review of the Strategic Plan for Urban Waste Management to ensure a better quality of life for society and environmental protection.

The strategic guidelines provided for in this plan are based on the projection of future waste production in Angola, which is estimated, for 2025, at 8.6 million tons/year, equivalent to a daily capture of 0.81 kilogrammes/inhabitant per day.

These values, according to the plan, will represent an increase of 150 percent, compared to 2012, which was estimated at 75.

Nuno Cruz was speaking in Kinanga commune, urban district of Ingombota, ahead of the world cleaning day, during which he recommended other waste management policies as the current plan is out of date due to the country's reality.

According to Nuno Cruz, the problem of poor waste management deserves special attention because of malaria and other diseases that claim lives.

Nuno Cruz points to the need to put an end to the existence of open-air ditches due to the danger it poses.

To prevent the waste from ending up in the sea, Nuno Cruz says that the outlets of the drainage ditches should also be closed with metal nets and conduct periodic maintenance.

According to him, it is also necessary to adapt other waste disposal practices, reinforcing inspection actions in small and large commercial stores.

“The solution to waste management entails combined effort, with the integrated involvement of the whole society, such as churches, civil society associations, teachers and all other actors”, he said.

In his view, people should be constantly sensitized, alerted and informed about the useful life of a plastic to degrade and its harm, in order to prevent these practices that have nothing to do with people’s welfare.

In order to attack the problem from its root, Nuno Cruz called for the need to place garbage containers in every corner of the cities, coupled with education, awareness and therefore the improvement of infrastructure.