The City of Harare will pay almost US$9.5 million in annual garbage collection fees if an exclusive deal with Geo Pomona Waste Management Private Limited is finalized. According to Geo Pomona CEO Dilesh Nguwaya, the city has committed to delivering a minimum of 650 tonnes of waste per day at a cost of US$40 per tonne.
Nguwaya explained that the proposed charges are "fairly cheaper" than those in Europe, where costs range from US$95 per tonne in France to US$166 per tonne in Austria. He said the standards at Pomona align with modern European waste management trends.
The negotiations come two years after the government handed over the management of Harare's main dumpsite in Pomona to Netherlands-based Geogenix BV, which runs Geo Pomona.
This transaction has triggered a fierce tussle between the government and the City of Harare.
Geo Pomona plans to incinerate 1,000 tonnes of solid municipal waste per day to generate 16MW to 22MW of electricity, which will be fed into the national grid. Nguwaya said this is a sustainable way to manage waste and reduce landfill disposal.
The investment project has raised concerns about potential job losses for City of Harare workers, but Nguwaya assured that the plan is to employ these workers
The decision to involve Geo Pomona was based on Harare's failure to effectively collect waste in most parts of the capital, forcing some residents to hire private garbage collectors at around US$90 per household per month.
