Last community meeting for all stakeholders in Arubaine "A"

Since February 2011,the village environment committees have been conducting mobilisation,education and monthly supportive site visits to households and landlords without proper household waste storage facility and landlords without latrines.
But the meeting  for today was meant to address the few identified needs of this village by the environment committees,with last warning for landlords to improve on the  waste and sanitation gaps and fullfilment of proper hygienic conditions for tenants,the calls were made by tenants,including the presence of medical waste in the waste skip.They all agreed that comunity managed solid waste system, is improving and there is no need to fall back again after all this achievements.
They requested the landlord and the muncipal council to open up drainage route for floods and rain water in the area.
The Public Health Inspector Mr James Mulimba apologised to the community for ineffecient waste collection and delay,he promised to address the comunity recomandations.

Waste sampling and recording at Busia's main market

The knowledge on quantity and quality of solid waste is crucial for sound solid waste management planing. In March 2011, three weeks of waste sampling exercise were conducted by YES at different spots in Busia.

Compostable biodegradable organic waste is used by farmers as fodder for animals, but also as manure. Besides, Busia will receive a new composting facility through another project, which requires good knowledge on the input material. Plastic bags have been recorded in other Ugandan towns with a composting facility, which may have an impact not only on the composting process and the compost, but also on the popularity of the product among farmers

.

A much bigger issue are potential hazardous wastes in the compost raw material. While injection needles from health care wastes or glass chips may hurt workers sorting the waste, batteries or industrial waste water sludge may increase heavy metal concentrations in the waste. Thus, the sampling exercise aimed to trace out 1) the waste quantity available and 2) the waste composition with regards to compostable and non-compostable waste, but also amounts of potential hazardous materials, in order to distinguish between high- and low- quality waste for composting in Busia.

Results confirm the waste analysis figures of Makerere University (2006), assigned by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). The share  of non-compostable waste, such as plastic bags, is much higher at the the collection center in the residential area, while the market waste shows relatively high homogenity. Besides, the collection center in the residential area received health-care wastes from neighboring clinics.

Participants in the training during field visit

Researchers from Makerere discuss with farmers that this plot here shall not be used, as some urban waste has been dumped here earlier on.

Farmers attend farm level applied training.

There are five demonstration sites identified under the UGOs project,farmers where mobilised and trained on the agronomic principles and practical application in the demonstration gardens,the training was done at Mr Opio Luba's home a succefful farmer in Busia Municipal council,western division in Kinsenyi "A".

Atotal of 27 particicpants attended the training session which started with field visits to learn and share experience about different demonstration site and crop performance.The workshop was facilitated by Mr.ongatai Amosiah from YES-Busia,Dr jeninah Kirungi and My. Francis ogwang from Makerere Unvicersity.