Garbage collectors queue outside the environment department offices in Mombasa for registration. (Photo/Maxwell)

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Environment experts have backed up the move by Mombasa County government to register all garbage collectors operating within the county.

The move came after Mombasa County Executive Member in charge of environment Doctor Godffrey Nyongesa Nato accused private garbage collectors for dumping in illegal sites within the county.

Hundreds of garbage collectors on Monday thronged the Mombasa county environment offices to ensure they are vetted and issued with relevant documents so that they carry on with garbage collection activities.

The move is meant to streamline and follow up on all private motor garbage collectors as well as those who use carts to collect solid waste from residential areas.

They will be issued with NEMA licenses as well as identification cards so that residents can easily identify and engage them in solid waste management activities in their homes.

During the exercise, Doctor Nato said that the move will ensure that no unlicensed garbage collectors carry on with their activities in the county.

Speaking on Monday at his office, Active Environment Team Chair Ben Wemali said that the county should be more responsible than ever and ensure that there is proper solid waste management in the county.

Wemali said that the unmanaged heaps of garbage were the main cause of disease outbreaks among them Chikungunya.

 “We need to see more environment policies and the County waste management Act is fully adhered to,” he added.

He said that the current efforts by Doctor Nato were long overdue.

“However, we do not want to see locals being wrongly arrested because of the county government failure, proper waste disposal should be followed by all parties,” he added.

Locals in the county have been complaining of closure of some of the dump sites in the county saying that the three dump sites at Kibarani in Changamwe, Mwakirunge in Kisauni and Shonda in Likoni were far from residential areas.

They said that garbage trucks should be placed near residential areas so that it is easy for them to dump solid waste.