BUJUMBURA (IPS) - Several months ago, residents of the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, were struggling with disposal of household waste. The Municipal Technical Services (Services techniques municipaux, SETEMU) weren't able to deal with all the refuse -- and health conditions in the city were deteriorating.
Fast forward to June 2007, and matters have taken a turn for the better -- thanks to a waste management process imported from neighbouring Rwanda, and put into effect by the recently-created Association for Development and the Fight Against Poverty (Association pour le développement et la lutte contre la pauvreté, ADLP).
This organisation stepped forward after authorities decided to open the collection and treatment of household refuse to outside contractors, becoming the first privately-owned organisation to get involved in waste management in the city.
Alidi Hakizimana, a resident of the Nyakabiga community in the centre of Bujumbura -- where the ADLP is most extensively involved -- notes that health conditions "have clearly improved since the organisation took responsibility for waste" in the area.
But, ADLP doesn't only collect waste -- it also transforms it into fuel.
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