Nyamagabe to turn trash into charcoal

AUTHORITIES in Nyamagabe district are setting up a modern dumpsite with a machine to process garbage into charcoal.According to the district mayor, Philbert Mugisha, the site which is under construction in Nyabivumu cell, Gasaka sector, will rid urban dwellers of a large chunk of the solid waste, thus improving hygiene and sanitation in the town and some of the district’s biggest business centres, mainly Gasarenda and Kitabi.The Rwf257-million dumping site is expected to be complete and operational next month.Nyamagabe Integrated Dumping Site will also boost environment protection in the area, Mugisha said.The place will be a collection centre for waste from homes and business premises. The waste would be sorted out and processed into charcoal, the officials said.It will also reduce the need for burning charcoal from trees by providing an alternative, thus reducing deforestation.Nyamagabe is one of the main charcoal– a common source of cooking energy in most households–producing areas in the country.Off-farm jobs“It will significantly improve the lives of our residents as it will create jobs for the locals,” Mugisha said. In the beginning, about 500 people will be absorbed, mainly in the collection, transportation and segregation and processing of the waste, according to the district chief planner, Jean de Dieu Karemera.Others will also be employed in making special charcoal stoves to use the products.“This project is part of our efforts to create off-farm jobs for our people,” the mayor said.

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Nyamagabe to turn trash into charcoal