Lira city to privatize garbage management

Lira, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Lira city authorities have embarked on identifying private firms to undertake garbage management in the town.

The decision to privatize garbage management in the town was reached following the chronic failure by the local government to effectively manage the solid waste materials in the area.

The companies that have been identified and are being vetted include Earth Stewards Uganda Company Limited, Lira City Cleaners, and Kiwede Holdings Limited. They will help in garbage collection and proper disposal of any household residues.

For long, the authorities of Lira City Council have been struggling with solid waste management especially garbage collection. Several parts of the city are filled with garbage and littered with polythene bags while the dust bins are filled beyond capacity with the highest concentration point being the collection point located along Obangakene road right in front of the multi-billion market.

Leonard Otika, the Lira City Environment Officer says that the companies will not pay the city council but rather a small amount of money to deposit the garbage at Aler composite site.

“We are not paying them to carry out their services but our benefit will be in terms of their services of cleaning the town. They will be bearing the cost of transportation, fuelling their trucks, paying their employees and servicing their vehicles because they will be charging whoever will be benefiting from their service,” Otika explained.

The Lira City Interim Mayor Mike Ogwang Olwa asked the companies to sensitize the community before charging fees for garbage collection.

He says that they found it worthwhile to source for private individuals and firms that can undertake responsibilities of collecting and managing garbage other than leaving it to decompose in the public where it poses a threat to the environment.

According to the proposal, the city council will relinquish the responsibility for garbage handling to the private firms whose services will have to be directly paid for by the residents that wish to have their waste materials collected.

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