By Dickson Bandera
HARARE – The Parliamentary Thematic Committee on Climate Change has expressed satisfaction with progress at Geo Pomona Waste Management, following a fact-finding visit to the facility in Harare on Tuesday to assess its waste management operations and contribution to environmental sustainability.
Led by Committee Chairperson Honourable Senator Priscah Mupfumira, the delegation toured the facility to gain first-hand appreciation of waste management practices, particularly the treatment of organic waste and efforts to reduce methane emissions.
The visit followed a briefing by Geo Pomona to Parliament in April, providing legislators with an opportunity to verify the information presented and assess the facility’s operations.
Senator Mupfumira said the visit was part of Parliament’s oversight responsibilities and would help the Committee identify policy and operational challenges requiring legislative intervention.
“The verification visit to Geo Pomona is intended to enable the Committee on Climate Change to gain a practical understanding of waste management practices being implemented in sustainability, particularly in relation to the management of organic waste and in an effort to reduce methane emissions,” she said.
She said climate change had far-reaching implications for industry, economic development, education and public health, adding that Parliament was prepared to engage stakeholders in strengthening environmental protection initiatives.
“Any support you may require from us, we are here to engage us, so that together we come up with the Zimbabwe we want,” Senator Mupfumira said.
The delegation received a briefing from Dr Dilesh Nguwaya, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of Geo Pomona Waste Management (Pvt) Ltd and Special Advisor on Waste Management and Environmental Sustainability to the President, before undertaking a safety induction and touring the Sorting Plant and Materials Recovery Facility, Water Treatment Plant and hazardous waste landfill facilities.
Dr Nguwaya said the company was continuing to improve its waste management systems, including the provision of separate facilities for solid and hazardous waste.
He also announced that the company had procured household waste bins from China, with some already having arrived, as it moves towards encouraging residents to adopt better waste disposal practices.
“We’ve already started the process of providing the residents with the bins. We have already procured those bins from China. They are on their way. Some of them, they are here, and soon these bins are going to be distributed to the residents,” he said.
Dr Nguwaya added that the programme would eventually be expanded across the country.
The issue of household waste separation also featured prominently during the visit, with Honourable Senator Sengezo Tshabangu, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and a member of the Committee, advocating for residents to separate waste at source.
He said providing households with appropriate liners would make waste sorting easier and improve the efficiency of recycling and processing operations.
“If the management should really encourage our residents, provide them with green liners so that they start sorting out our waste from our household, then it becomes much easier, much quicker than what we have here. Then we have more volumes in a day,” he said.
Senator Tshabangu also expressed support for Geo Pomona’s proposed expansion into Bulawayo, saying the initiative had been endorsed in principle and that the outstanding step was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the company and the Bulawayo City Council.
“What is left is the MOU, so that the MOU is signed between Geo Pomona and City Council,” he said.
He said the city’s waste management challenges required practical solutions, particularly in view of concerns surrounding emissions and the financial burden of waste management on residents.
Meanwhile, Honourable Senator Conrad Jericho Gotora, a member of the Committee, expressed satisfaction with what he had seen, saying: “Thank you very much. I am impressed.”
He also raised concerns about the environmental consequences of uncontrolled emissions and industrial activities, suggesting that action on environmental challenges should have been taken earlier.
Geo Pomona has been managing the Pomona site since April 2022, following 37 years during which it operated as an uncontrolled dumpsite.
According to the company, the facility has since developed waste sorting and water treatment infrastructure as part of efforts to improve waste management and environmental protection.
The company reported that it had handled a cumulative 620,867.30 tonnes of waste as at November 2, 2026, comprising waste collected from illegal dumps, door-to-door collection and skip bins.
Its Sorting Plant and Materials Recovery Facility, commissioned on June 5, 2025, has the capacity to sort up to 1,080 tonnes of waste per day, according to the company.
Geo Pomona employs 1,514 people, more than half of them women, and says it intends to share technical expertise from its local engineers with local authorities across Zimbabwe and eventually extend its model to other countries.
The visit comes amid growing recognition of the importance of sustainable waste management in addressing climate change, protecting public health and building environmentally responsible communities.