Barber shops accused of careless disposal of hair

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 10:18:07 +0000

By KALOBWE BWALYA

LUSAKA City Council should move in and penalize owners of hair salons and barber shops for careless disposal of hair and other waste products which are causing a health hazard.

Concerned residents said hair dressers were disposing cut hair in drainages and hair washing chemicals in the middle of the road, hence the local authority should prosecute the culprits.

Lusaka resident Mr Amos Chalwe of Chipata compound said it was unfair that hair was disposed of carelessly by hair salons and barber shops, contributing to challenges of waste management.

Mr Chalwe also said the late collection of garbage by the council had caused rubbish to pile up at undesignated dumping sites, producing a bad smell that could lead to outbreaks of diseases.

“The council should also be effective in the manner they were collecting garbage. This is the reason why even these hair dressers have taken advantage and were dumping their waste anyhow,” he said.

Masuzyo Chipulu of Chaisa compound said careless disposal of hair had posed a serious challenge to the waste water system which could not pass smoothly in drains, causing blockages from time to time.

He said part of the reason was that many residents were not paying for garbage collection services, and some business houses had taken advantage of the situation.

And council public relations manager Habeenzu Mulunda said that as long as people existed, waste would always be there and that it was up to residents to ensure that it was promptly collected and disposed of.

He reiterated that the solution to waste management depended on the people throwing garbage in the right places and subscribing for waste management services.

“It is not about LCC, it’s about the residents of Lusaka to check whether they have paid their subscription to waste management. If they paid but nothing is being done, that is when they can come and question the council why garbage has not been collected,” said Mr Mulunda.

Mr Mulunda warned that the local authority will not spare residents found throwing garbage carelessly.