MOVE ON AMBIENTE
Waste No Waste, Trash is Treasure Campaign
The streets of Lusaka are littered with waste, its gutters blocked by garbage. The inadequacy of waste collection and the almost total absence of waste separation and recycling are some of the root causes of the frequent cholera outbreaks affecting the city.
“Waste No Waste, Trash is Treasure” is a movement started in 2024. It aims to foster a change in culture that is needed to achieve a correct management of solid waste in Lusaka (and Zambia at large) through education.
Initiatives successfully implemented:
a) Bins collection and installation: 42 oil drums were installed in sets of three at strategic sites in Lusaka. The Lusaka City Council, through the Lusaka Integrated Waste Management Company, authorised installation and agreed to manage waste collection from the installed bins.
b) Clean up campaign: over 300 people participated in the clean-up drive which took place in Bauleni on October 5th, 2024. This helped to raise awareness among residents about the importance of waste management and about the campaign itself.
Next steps (2025):
In 2025 the schoolchildren will be the protagonists. The future generations are key to changing society’s attitude towards littering, waste segregation and consumption of harmful materials. This year’s activities are implemented by 6 international schools: the Lyceé Français de Lusaka, the Italian School of Lusaka, the International School of Lusaka, Baobab College, the American School of Lusaka and Lusaka International Community School (LICS).
During the official launch, on April 8th 2025, each school defined its own calendar of activities to be included in the campaign. These range from art projects to scientific and practical solutions on how to manage solid waste. Ideally, said activities should generate funds to support the environmental project or clean-up drive which will take place at the end of the 2025 campaign.