LL City to start double shifts in refuse management

Lilongwe City Council (LCC) plans to revamp its service delivery which, it admits, needs improvement.

Among other reforms, the council wants to introduce double shifts at its refuse management section to help bring effectiveness in its bid to make the city clean.

Speaking in an interview on Thursday, LCC chief executive officer Richard Hara said the city can still regain its lost glory despite current challenges.

The council is said to struggle from inadequate equipment, low human capital and funding to match the growing demand in services courtesy of the city’s rapidly growing population.

“But these challenges are not new and chances are they may stick with us for long. We just need to adopt some innovative ways,” Hara said, adding that not all challenges can be solved through extra financial injection.

“These other challenges just need a change in our approach to our work if we are really to satisfy the demands of our clients. But that doesn’t mean that we have enough. We feel we can make a difference with the little resources at our disposal,” he said.

Hara explained that introducing double shifts will enable the council to increase the load it used to pick in a day,

saying its skip carriers can work the whole day, with only its personnel taking turns.

He also hinted that the council will try to check fuel usage on the refuse collection trucks, and that no truck will remain idle during working hours.

“We need to put service delivery ahead of expenditure on administration as has been the case in the past. But people should bear with us as this is a gradual process as we try to fill in the loopholes,” said Hara.

Meanwhile, the council says it is remaining with 58 refuse skips out of the 100 it used to have, and three functional skip carriers to cater for all its townships.

Some equipment is undergoing repair and maintenance, but the council plans to buy new ones soon, according to Hara.