THE government has drawn up guidelines on waste recycling to encourage more business people to invest in waste recycling, a move that will help improve waste management in urban areas.
Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children Ummy Mwalimu unveiled this during a recent meeting on sanitation which brought together regional and council officers for sanitation from across the country.
“The new guidelines will encourage more businesspeople to invest in waste recycling to improve waste management,” she said, while delivering an opening speech at the sanitation meeting.
Ms Mwalimu further noted that the government had registered great strides in sanitation, thanks to a nationwide campaign entitled ‘Usichukulie Poa, Nyumba ni Choo’ after households with standard toilets increased to 62.4 per cent in 2019 from 34 per cent in 2015.
“For two years of the campaign, a number of households with standard toilets have tremendously increased.
Likewise, a number of households without standard toilets has diminished from7.5 per cent to 1.9 per cent this year,” said the minister.
The nationwide campaign encourages households to construct standard toilets to prevent water borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery.
The diseases can be spread while bathing, washing and drinking water or by eating food exposed to contaminated water.
The minister explained that households with standard toilets in rural areas had increased to 4,311 from only 743 and 1,267 health facilities had improved toilets with sanitation.
“I want to thank key sanitation stakeholders to join hands with the government to conduct the campaign. Our target is to attain 75 per cent by June, 2021,” she stressed.
Ms Mwalimu further said the fifth phase government was committed to improving landfill sites in urban areas.
