BUJUMBURA March 28th (ABP) – The Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock in collaboration with the town hall of Bujumbura, the Burundian Office for Habitat (OBUHA) and the European Union organized Thursday March 24, 2022 in Bujumbura, an exchange workshop on the issue of waste and its recycling in Burundi. That activity concerned the various development partners of Burundi and investors in the field of recycling to raise awareness among the Burundian population of its importance and to inform them about the usefulness of objects made of recycled materials and the importance of sorting waste. The Director General of Environment, Water Resources and Sanitation, Mr. Félicien Nyorobeka indicated that recycling is an ecological practice which consists in transforming a product or waste into another in order to use it longer. He added that waste is first and foremost an object that we buy, which can even be part of people’s everyday consumer products.
According to him, in Burundi, waste is often seen as a threat. However, if they are well managed, they constitute a business opportunity generating significant income and good quality objects, while saving natural resources intended for the manufacture of various objects. He said that a study by scientists from the University of Burundi shows that more than 95% of waste produced in the Town Hall is recyclable.
Mr. Nyorobeka pointed out the benefits of recycling, citing conservation of natural resources, less pollution and saving energy. Recycling also makes it possible to reintroduce certain materials in the production of new products. It is a decisive act for the future of the country because it is a key element of the circular economy, he pointed out.
He congratulated the Burundian actors who have already initiated actions in the field of recycling. He cited the production of pipes, baskets or paving stones from plastics, reinforcing bars from metal waste, cooking pots from aluminum waste, organic manure from livestock waste, the production of fuel oil from waste tires and other plastic waste, briquettes from agricultural waste and the production of charcoal from the shells of oil palm nuts.
For the head of the rural development, environment, energy, economy and European Union cooperation section, Mr. Arnold Jacques de Dixmude, who represented the ambassador, the problem of waste is increasingly visible and affects all. According to him, waste is sensitive to pollution and health. They create negative impacts on climate change and biodiversity.
Mr. Jacques indicated that the EU has programs, projects and means to mobilize actions in relation to the proper management of that waste in Burundi, especially in the cities located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika including Bujumbura. As waste management is a very complex problem, we need an integral strategy, with multi-levels, multi-actors and multi-sectors who will intervene. He asked the Burundian government to also mobilize resources to invest in raising awareness among the population, explaining that many actions focus on cleaning, collection and treatment. He specified that preventive actions are necessary in terms of changing everyone’s behavior as consumers and users of plastic objects.