The Sunday Mail
Dr Masimba Mavaza
LAUNCHED in 2018, Global Recycling Day, an initiative of the Global Recycling Foundation (GRF), is a movement dedicated to celebrating the importance of recycling and making the world “Think Resource Not Waste”.
Taking place on March 18 every year, the Global Recycling Day has seen events, campaigns and social media activity take place across the globe, reaching hundreds of millions of people.
This year, the GRF graced COP 27 summit currently underway in Egypt, which
has been attended by President Mnangagwa.
In Zimbabwe, the recycling initiative is being championed by Geo Pomona, a joint venture company led by Mr Dilesh Nguwaya.
It was telling that, on the sidelines of the COP 27 summit, GRF showered praises on Geo Pomona and Mr Nguwaya for establishing the project.
“We all appreciate the value of recycling in preserving our precious primary resources and now we’re starting to see how the impact of recycling has in helping to reverse the effects of catastrophic climate change. Zimbabwe, through the Geo Pomona project, witnessed growth in the public perception of how it is tackling climate change,” said GRF.
Initially, the Harare City Council embraced the noble idea of confronting climate change through waste
recycling.
However, cheap politicking by ill-informed members of the opposition party led by Nelson Chamisa threatened to scupper the project.
Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo stood firm in defending the deal and understanding its massive impact, whose scientific contribution in the fight against climate change is missed by the ignorant.
Recycling is one of those practices we think of when considering sustainable living.
Many of us have growing concerns around climate change due to greenhouse emissions and the impact of our waste on the environment.
Recycling has become a part of many people’s lives and it contributes positively to climate change.
Minister Moyo applied his vision
and, indeed, the world is now seeing how Zimbabwe embarked on a
progressive path in fighting climate change.
Through the Geo Pomona project, there is a realisation that volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), such as those that were being emitted from Pomona before the project set off, are bad for our health and need to be avoided wherever possible.
These VOCs had piled up at Pomona, exposing people to multiple health hazards.
Recycling helps reduce waste and pollution. It also reduces environmental hazards, contributing to a “green” mentality and more sustainable lifestyles.
Combating climate change through recycling is what Geo Pomona has brought to Zimbabwe.
The project will educate people on how to refurbish non-organic waste into useful items to sell, reduce pollution and unlock economic opportunities.
Furthermore, this project will lead to the generation of power. The mandate of the High Level Champions for
Climate Action was created by the United Nations as part of the Paris Agreement.
It encompasses waste management in fighting climate change. Zimbabwe, through the Pomona project, is, thus, fighting from the front.
The link between recycling and
climate change has always been clear. Evidence from the Bureau of International Recycling has shown that recycling can save over 700 million tonnes in carbon dioxide CO2 emissions every year.
A study by Project Drawdown estimates that between 2020 and 2050, recycling can reduce CO2 emissions by 5.5 – 6.02 gigatons6.
Since recycling converts waste into new products, there is a key connection between recycling and waste.
This connection helps to support the world’s sustainability endeavours as we embrace recycled materials.
Dr Masimba Mavaza is a Zimbabwean academic based in the United Kingdom. He writes in his personal capacity and can be contacted on [email protected]
