Volumes of refuse to double by 2025

Borne by local authorities and ultimately taxpayers, the cost of refuse collection and disposal will similarly explode in the next 13 years, as rubbish volumes ride on rapid industrialisation and urbanisation.Gaborone, whose refuse management troubles are well documented, contributes the bulk of Botswana's urban refuse output estimated at approximately 890 tonnes per day. Released on Wednesday, the World Bank report, A Global Review of Solid Waste Management, is designed to give decision makers a foundation on which to base refuse management policy decisions going forward.

According to the report, the amount of refuse generated in urban Botswana will rise to 2,227 tonnes per day by 2025 or 1.4 kilogrammes per urban dweller per day. This is up from just over a kilogramme a day for each urbanite in Botswana.The estimates assume Botswana's population in 2025 will be 2.27 million, up from the current 2.02 million.