Inter-district landfills could help address waste management challenges by eliminating reliance on informal dumpsites and uncontrolled disposal, according to a study by Transparency International Rwanda. Inter-district landfills are waste management facilities designed to serve multiple districts or municipalities rather than just one local area. ALSO READ: Rwanda unveils $221m plan for waste management, clean technologies Instead of each district operating its own small landfill, several districts collaborate to use a larger, centrally located landfill site. Study findings presented on December 11 show that seven rural districts are struggling with waste management. Apollinaire Mupiganyi, the Executive Director of Transparency International Rwanda, said Rwanda continues to face persistent and complex challenges in solid waste management that threaten environmental sustainability, public health, and the quality of life of its citizens. ALSO READ: Nduba landfill to be shut down, modern facility in offing A significant proportion of solid waste in the country is still disposed of in improper locations or poorly managed dumpsites, exposing communities to environmental hazards and health risks. We are seeing various behaviours that lead to the non-respect of environmental protection, waste management, Mupiganyi said. We have to ensure that the economic development of our country goes hand in hand with environmental and social safeguarding. Despite ongoing efforts to improve waste collection and disposal, gaps remain in the enforcement of legislation, coordination of institutions, and promotion of effective waste reduction, recycling, and safe disposal practices, according to Abias Maniragaba, an environmental expert who led the research team. The absence of public landfills, waste treatment and composting systems in Burera, Rulindo, Rutsiro, Gakenke, Ngororero, Nyaruguru, and Nyabihu districts has resulted in uncoordinated dumping of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, creating severe environmental, health, and socio-economic risks, Maniragaba said. ALSO READ Fight against banned plastic bags taken to the streets As a result, he noted, environmental effects include increased environmental degradation, rising health risks such as water contamination and disease outbreaks, reduced agricultural productivity, and higher long-term costs for environmental restoration. The study was facilitated by Governance Focal Persons, who played a key role in conducting the community scorecard at the cell level through citizen assemblies. The community scorecard helped in identifying issues of poor solid waste management in the seven districts. In Ngororero District, waste disposal at Gatumba trading centre is unmanaged. Organic waste, plastics, and bottles are dumped together. ALSO READ: Govt urges investors to turn 3,600 tonnes of daily waste into solutions No structured segregation, composting, or recycling, Maniragaba noted. In Nyaruguru District, waste near forest edges in Mubuga village is also unmanaged. Households dump waste into natural ecosystems. Some organic waste is burned while plastics remain scattered. “There is a high risk of polluting forest soils and groundwater,” he explained. In Rutsiro District, there is no designated dumping site or well-maintained collection centre. “Waste is often discarded in rivers, valleys, and roadside areas, leading to environmental degradation.” In Burera District, markets have dustbins but no treatment or composting system. Waste accumulates around Rusumo Market near Rugezi Marshland and leakage threatens Lakes Burera and Ruhondo through contaminated runoff, according to the study. There is potential for disease outbreaks due to waste accumulation, Maniragaba said. In Rulindo, Gakenke, and Nyabihu districts, there is a critical lack of designated public landfills. Households and businesses dump waste on hillsides, in wetlands, farms, and roadside areas. Pollution harms rivers, agricultural land, and fragile ecosystems. No organised waste collection or disposal system. Biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste are mixed everywhere, the expert said. There are few waste trucks, insufficient bins, and poor technical expertise in districts. Recommendations The study recommends establishing inter-district mini-landfills. This will require conducting site identification studies using environmental criteria, building fenced and controlled mini-landfills with drainage, and encouraging shared management across districts to ensure cost-sharing. The approach could eliminate reliance on informal dumpsites and uncontrolled disposal. It also recommends the development of sector-level waste management hubs in the seven districts. Each sector should have a small, functional waste management facility including sorting sheds for organic waste, plastics, paper, and metals, temporary storage bays, composting pits or simple composting machines; and plastic and bottle aggregation points. Scattered settlements require local solutions that minimise transportation distance,” the authors of the study report said. Introducing community composting and waste treatment units in markets and cooperatives is also advised. This requires training residents and farmer groups on composting for use in agriculture to improve soil fertility. Promoting Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for waste collection and recycling, contracting cooperatives and youth groups for waste collection, incentivising plastic recycling businesses through tax rebates and grants, and promoting mobile collection trucks for remote mountainous areas are also needed. The study also called for enforcing penalties on illegal dumping and open burning, mandatory segregation at markets and public institutions, and regular environmental inspections in hotspots such as wetlands, forests, and markets. We now have a comprehensive policy on water resources management, water supply, and sanitation, said Gemma Maniraruta, Director General of Water and Sanitation at the Ministry of Infrastructure. The sanitation policy is particularly robust because it encompasses all aspects of waste including liquid, solid, electronic, industrial, and medical wastes. She noted an ongoing innovative pilot project on solid waste management, which serves as a model for the future in different districts. We are promoting sorting at the source, starting at the household level, separating degradable from non-degradable waste, and ensuring proper final handling at the dumpsite,” she said.
