STUDIES indicate that waste management in Lesotho is an escalating problem brought about by a number of challenges such as low environmental awareness, lack of waste management services and infrastructure, an increase in unplanned settlement and lack of capacity building for personnel.

UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Lesotho, Nessie Golakai-Gould said the 2021 Rapid Waste assessment undertaken by UNDP across six urban councils in Lesotho found that 69 percent of the waste was generated by households, factories, commercial entities, and activities in the academic institutions and the government.

She said plastic pollution had become a global crisis, adding that in Lesotho, it was exacerbated by the indiscriminate dumping and littering in communities.

“This will require an all-of-society collaboration to develop and uphold shared value system for behaviour change regarding waste management,” Ms Golakai-Gould said.

“Everyone, including households, the government, local authorities and the private sector, must assume their responsibility to promote sustainable consumption, shape our waste management by adopting the reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose principles for reducing plastic waste.”

Through the UNDP and the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture, the Waste Management Project has strengthened a partnership in waste management, raising awareness about the impacts of plastics waste to the environment and human health.

The Cleanest Town Competition has since been launched, aiming at sensitising the public about the importance of living in a clean and healthy environment and the adverse impacts of pollution.

The competition also provides capacity building to urban councils in the form of training.  So far, Thaba-Tseka has won the competition, becoming the cleanliness town in the country, winning a M75 000 prize towards implementing the strategies to strengthen efforts on waste management in the rural town.