PILOT PROJECT

DECENTRALIZED SOLID
WASTE MANAGEMENT
IN ZANZIBAR, TANZANIA
A JOINT INITIATIVE OF CENTRE FOR SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT (CSE),
ZANZIBAR ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY (ZEMA)
AND ZANZIBAR URBAN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL (ZUMC)
 Launch of
decentralised
pilot project in
Shaurimoyo

O n 27 January 2017,
a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) was
signed between Centre for
Science and Environment (CSE) and the
Zanzibar Environmental Management
Authority (ZEMA) to facilitate better solid
waste management practices and policy in
the autonomous island of Zanzibar. As part
of the MoU, on 6 September 2017, a decen-
tralized pilot project on waste management
was launched 3 km from Stonetown, in
Shaurimoyo, a low-income area in Zanzibar.
Presently, all 626 households are giving
segregated waste. By adopting a segrega-
tion-incentive model which is frugal and
wealth-generating, this initiative is helping
transform Zanzibar into a zero-landfill
island.

STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED
CSE is working together with ZEMA, Department of
Environment (DoE) and the Zanzibar Urban Municipal
Council (ZUMC) to push for and implement decen-
tralized waste management systems in Zanzibar, ensure
the model is replicated in the whole island and muni-
cipal bylaws for solid waste management are adopted
throughout the island.
 PROCESS AWARENESS AND
Under the pilot initiative, 626 households in
Shaurimoyo were mapped by an informal society, the PROPAGATION FOR WASTE
Shaurimoyo Waste Management Society (SWMS), with
the help of CSE and ZUMC. The mapping was done in
SEGREGATION
two phases—the first mapping was done in July 2017 Under the pilot initiative, 16 SWMS workers chosen by
for 200 households, and the second mapping was done ZUMC are responsible for door-to-door propagation
Steps for
in August 2018 for the remaining 426 households. to educate residents on segregation into wet, dry and
decentralized waste domestic hazardous waste, and to collect the segre-
The flowchart shows the detailed methodology that
management in has been adopted for the pilot in Shaurimoyo. gated waste. ZUMC pays a monthly salary of 80,000
Zanzibar Tanzanian Shilling (Tsh) (about US $35) to each worker.

Ward-wise Collection and transpo

Baseline study Propagation
mapping segregated waste to rtatio
co m

n o osting site
p
f
Pre-implementation stage (6 months)

os
comp ting/ bio
for m
te Mapping of
et
s

households in
wa

ha

Shaurimoyo,
nis
Wet

Zanzibar
ation

Channelization of recyclable Site selection and development for

arks
chm ors dry waste to recyclers processing and resource recovery
n at
and in e
dic
Developing b

e
No

ob
n-

ec
et

st
se yclabl
r

r t wa
nt e ne
to s and i dfills
anitary lan

Implementation stage (6-12 months)

Data collection and Feedback and

evaluation Rating of the project troubleshooting

Monitoring and evaluation stage (18 months)

Source: CSE,2019

4 5
 PHASE 1, SEPTEMBER 2017
With an initial infrastructural support from CSE, three
aerobic composting pits were constructed on September Distribution of
2017 in Santana playground (earlier a dumpsite), bins and bags for
segregation in
Shaurimoyo, each with a capacity of 80–100 kg. Also, Shaurimoyo
one bin (for wet waste) and two bags (for dry and
domestic hazardous waste) were distributed to 200
households during the launch of the pilot. The details
of the households that received the bins were noted and
marked with stickers to keep a track of the progress of
segregation. The households also received pamphlets
explaining the process of segregation.

PHASE 2, AUGUST 2018 Compost shredding machine

In May 2018, with an initial support from
CSE, a shredding machine for compost
was fabricated locally. In August 2018,
ZEMA further set up three more aerobic Storage area
composting pits in Santana playground to
treat the wet waste from the remaining 426
households. Similarly, bins and bags were
also distributed to the households to keep
segregated waste. In addition, a storage cen-
tre and washroom facility (toilet with septic
tank and soakpit) has also been set up with
the support of CSE.

Model waste
procesing site at
Composting pits Shaurimoyo

Washroom facility for workers

6 7
 WASTE COLLECTION,
TRANSPORTATION AND
PROCESSING
ZUMC has provided one tipper and three
wheel barrows to support collection and
transportation of segregated waste to the
processing site. The collection happens daily
between 8-12 PM. The workers transfer the
waste to the tipper which has two drums placed
on it for taking the wet and dry waste. The
Collection of
segregated waste tipper takes the segregated waste to the model
Transportation
by Shaurimoyo processing site situated around 2 km away. and treatment of
waste society
Currently, all households at Shaurimoyo are segregated waste
workers
segregating waste at source and segregation
percentage is over 85–90 per cent.

About 150–200 kg of wet waste is collected

daily and sent to the model processing facility.
Dry waste is further segregated into PET, glass
and paper, and is stored in bags and given to
a waste dealer. About 120 kg of dry waste is
collected per month. The domestic hazardous
waste is handed over to the municipality and
goes to the Kibele landfill. To incentivize
source segregation, initially 200 households
were exempted from paying the user fees.
However, with the new municipal solid waste
management bylaws, the municipal council
shall collect user fees from every household and
commercial entity, whenever notified.

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 MAJOR OUTCOMES

1 LIVELIHOOD AND EMPOWERMENT TO LOCAL COMMUNITY (ESPECIALLY WOMEN):

The pilot project has not only brought employment opportunity to the
informal society but has also empowered the women workers who are
mainly involved in propagation, collection and processing. The informal society
is incentivized for their work by the sale of compost and dry recyclable waste.
Sale slip to maintain record of compost sold

Worker using
shredding
machine Packaged
compost
for sale

Final compost

2 INCENTIVES: The first batch of compost was produced in December

2017 and so far about 3000 kg of compost has been sold @1000
Tsh/kg. To earn additional revenue, the society workers with the
help of ZUMC have also started growing vegetables at the pilot site and earn
approximately 200,000 Tsh (US $ 88) from sale of vegetables quarterly. Also,
PET bottles and glass are sold to waste dealers @ 150 Tsh /kg (US $ 0.066) and
200 Tsh /kg (US $0.088) per month respectively. Overall, about 600 kg of waste
is being diverted from landfill daily via this pilot project.

10 11
 4 MUNICIPAL BYLAWS FOR SWM: CSE has been working with ZUMC
and ZEMA for the past one year on the preparation of municipal
bylaws to ensure segregation, recycle and reuse is adopted across the
autonomous island. The draft bylaws were approved during the Full
Council Meeting at ZUMC on February 2019 and was further approved by the
Regional Commissioner’s office and the Ministry of the Local Administration,
Zanzibar. Currently, the draft municipal bylaws for SWM have been submitted
to the Attorney General’s office for gazette notification.

Bylaws meeting held

with all municipal
councils of Zanzibar
on 24th August 2018

Vegetable
plantation
at site

3 REJUVENATION OF DUMPSITE: The pilot site was earlier a

dumpsite and residents often complained of stench
and littering. The pilot project has converted the
dumpsite into a processing facility and a learning centre where
stakeholders and residents come and learn about the model
and also buy compost. So far, visits have been made by BRAC
Tanzania, Bonn University-Germany, the State University of
Zanzibar and stakeholders from all municipal councils of
Zanzibar.

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 5 REPLICATION OF PILOT IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF ZANZIBAR: In April 2018, con-
struction of composting pits was done in the Mpendae area in Zanzibar.
The two pits constructed by ZUMC cater to 150 households. ZEMA
also plans to replicate the same decentralized segregation model across Unguja
and Pemba Island.

Councilor of
Shaurimoyo
addressing the
media

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 For more information kindly contact
Sheha Mjaja Juma (ZEMA), sheha.juma@smz.go.tz
Sonia D.Henam (CSE), sonia.henam@cseindia.org
Mzee Khamis Juma (ZUMC), mkju61@yahoo.com

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