As Zimbabweans embarked on yet another National Environment Cleaning Day last Friday, more private companies were visible on the ground supporting the initiative mainly in Harare.
When the programme started in December 2018, it appeared as if it was meant for parastatals and State Owned Enterprises as fewer private companies participated.
But realising the impact of clogged drainage systems during the rainy season, and the general state of streets due to the inefficiency of urban councils, private companies are not just cleaning surroundings, but also large parts of cities to help councils.
Last week, Trek Zimbabwe, Meikles Hotel, TM Pick n Pay, Spar Zimbabwe and many others, could be seen cleaning the environment.
Trek Zimbabwe public relations manager Mrs Sharon Mtawarira told The Herald that the national clean-up campaign was noble as it helps keep cities clean.
“As Trek we decided to join in the clean-up campaign initiated by the Government to help clean the cities we are operating in,” she said.
“We cleaned from our service station here at Corner Leopold Takawira/ Samora Machel Avenue and went along Leopold Takawira Street to the north and turned onto Herbert Chitepo facing east, then Sam Nujoma Street facing south and back to the service station along Park Lane.”
Harare has some roads that are difficult to pass when driving, let alone on foot during the rainy season as they easily get flooded due to bad drainage.
While it is not in dispute that Harare is probably the worst run urban council in Zimbabwe, citizens need to embrace a culture of dropping off solid waste in bins to keep cities clean and avoid blocking drainages.
Some citizens have complained that bins on the streets and in residential areas take long to be emptied due to council ineptitude.
In Namibia and Rwanda, it is not uncommon to be politely asked by an ordinary citizen to pick up solid waste when one dumps it on the streets.
Zimbabweans can embrace the same tactic to keep cities clean as the social cost of being reminded by someone to pick up solid waste dropped on the street is huge for sensible people.
Experts say companies in the manufacturing sector must also intervene and ensure they bail out poorly run councils by putting up bins on the streets to discourage people from throwing litter all over the place.
The fact that Mashonaland West province held its clean-up programme at Lake Chivero last Friday, is telling.
Lake Chivero supplies water to greater Harare and Norton, but concerns over the water’s quality in recent years have been growing, due to environmental pollution.
Unending corruption at City of Harare has seen the council struggling to afford water treatment chemicals to match the amount of waste that found its way into the lake.
A proper dumpsite was also commissioned at Lake Chivero in an effort to improve solid waste management at critical water source.