Health Facilities Reminded to Desist From Illegal Disposal of Health Care Risk Waste
…Urged to utilize Municipal incinerator. Maximum fine for offenders is E50,000
The Municipal Council of Manzini is mandated by the Environmental Management Act of 2000 to ensure that healthcare risk waste is safely disposed in the City of Manzini.
This is because there are numerous health hazards for both citizens and the environment at large when healthcare risk waste is negligently disposed. Healthcare risk waste is defined as any waste that poses a risk due to its potential infectious nature. This type of waste is produced mostly by medical health facilities like pharmacies, clinics and hospitals. Materials like scissors, drips, used needles and razors are some of the examples of the most common healthcare waste produced by the afore-mentioned facilities. When such waste materials are disposed of illegally and negligently, serious implications are prone to impact the environment through soil and water pollution. Such illegal waste disposal practices also negatively impact citizens at large as they have the potential to cause the spread of various illnesses. The Municipal Council of Manzini has an incinerator and it is the only institution in the City of Manzini that is mandated to treat and dispose of hazardous waste. Medical health facilities are required to work closely with the Municipality to ensure that the waste generated is properly disposed. The Municipality would like to inform the general members of the public and medical facilities that it is a serious crime to haphazardly dispose healthcare risk waste in the City of Manzini. Anyone found to have violated the regulations runs the risk of being fined a maximum of E50,000. Stakeholders are also notified that hazardous waste is collected twice a week by the Municipality; on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Medical health facilities in the City of Manzini are expected to adhere to the following requirements;
- Whenever one opens a health facility in the city, they are required to inform the Municipality so that they can be guided on what is expected of them; particularly with regard to issues of healthcare risk waste management.
- The payable fee for collection of healthcare risk waste is E200 per month; regardless of the volume of healthcare risk waste generated.
- Provide a lockable risk waste cage within the premises of the facility; from which the Municipality will be able to safely collect the waste.
- Collect from the Municipality a form that will guide you to separate the different types of waste generated. For example, needles must be separated from razor blades.
- Label each and every type of waste to be disposed by stating the name of the material, name of the facility, name of the person facilitating the waste disposal as well as the date.
…PLEASE NOTE: SOME ROAD PORTIONS IN THE CITY TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR REHABILITATION
The Municipal Council of Manzini takes this opportunity to notify motorists and the general members of the public that a number of road portions in the city are currently temporarily closed for rehabilitation. These are Meintjies street (road stretch from the Main Bus Rank to Woodmasters township near Manzini Central School), a portion of Mahleka street (from the Dairy Board building to Dups Mall), a portion of Martin street (from the Portuguese Club to the Manzini Magistrates Court) is partially closed midweek and completely closed on weekends as well as the portion of Tenbergen street (from the Zakhele Remand Centre traffic lights to just before the Satellite Bus Rank). Motorists and all citizens are requested to bear with the Municipality as it makes an effort to improve the riding quality of the city’s road infrastructure. They are urged to use alternative routes to their destinations. The affected roads as well as the period of closure are indicated in the map below. However, it is worth mentioning that the period of closure will depend on whether or not the weather is conducive for works to proceed. Rainy weather retards progress with road construction projects. Members of the public are also informed that there are other road portions that have been scraped of the bitumen surface but not yet closed. Those are also scheduled for rehabilitation and will be temporarily closed in due course. All things constant, all the temporarily closed and scraped roads will have been fully rehabilitated by mid December 2022.
…MUNICIPALITY SUPPORTS ETA’S FESTIVE CAMPAIGN
The Municipal Council of Manzini supports the recently launched tourism campaign wherein the Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA) aims to promote the Kingdom of Eswatini, and the City of Manzini, as a destination of choice for domestic and international tourists this festive season. The campaign has been hash-tagged #ChooseEswatini or #NgcebelekaEswatini or #PholaEswatini. The Municipality is in agreement with ETA that the Kingdom, including the City of Manzini, has hidden tourism gems that await to be experienced this festive season and beyond. The Municipality, having partnered with ETA a few years ago, will join the Authority at the Manzini Lifestyle Centre this Saturday as it promotes the city and country’s tourist attractions. Members of the public are encouraged to visit the various tourism related stalls that will be pitched at the Manzini Lifestyle Centre and get information about possible places to visit this festive season. Those who will visit the stalls stand a chance to win exciting prizes.
