Urban Poverty & Climate Change in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania:

5.3.3 Mitigation-Friendly Policies and Activities
Party to the Kyoto Protocol
Tanzania has ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and
subsequently acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in April 1996. Since then it has been making
efforts to contribute to the broad-level response to climate change, i.e., to reduce greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions as well as towards adapting to the impacts of climate change.
Gas flaring at Mtoni dumpsite
Dar es Salaam has experience with emissions trade through this CDM project; the City
Council closed the Mtoni solid waste dumpsite and, in collaboration with a private company,
created mechanisms for tapping and flaring the gases produced at the dump. Together they
invested over TSh 2 billion and in 2008 the partnership was able to sell the 13,895 tons of
carbon that had been flared (the cost of carbon was reported as €10-15 per ton).
Follow-up to this CDM project has been proposed. An Environmental Officer will continue
to work with health officers to control pollution, and communities will continue to be
involved in waste collection. Industries and companies will be charged for generating solid
and other types of waste, and plans are to deposit this revenue for investment in waste control
and recycling and gas flaring programs. The city will also undertake the following activities,
which will not only contribute to reduced GHG emissions but also help keep the city clean:
• Create waste buy-back and drop-off collection centers for people to sell recyclables (plastic,
paper, cardboard, glass, metal) as well as package decomposable waste in special containers
for disposal at the dumpsite in order to make and trade compost fertilizer. A number of
activities involve working with the Municipal agencies, e.g., identifying contractors for
collection and transportation of recyclables; educating city dwellers on how to separate waste;
providing containers for waste separation; and constructing sub-station chambers or providing
trailers for temporary storage of separated waste before it is transported to treatment sites.
• Register industries by waste type, to move towards implementation of a ‘polluter pays’
strategy;
• Register all NGOs/CBOs and individuals that deal with recyclables, to involve them in
recyclables trading;
• Look for interested donors and investors to support the initiative, as the program requires
substantial funding and City/municipal resources are limited. An initial capital of TSh
18,528,140,000 (US$12,352,093) is needed. Funds obtained will be put in a special
environmental account (Mfuko wa Usafi wa Mazingira-MUM, a type of community fund),
which will be monitored by a Board of Trustees and supervised by the Regional
Administration and Municipalities. This fund will be used for purchase of transport and
storage facilities, construction of waste recycling-incineration plants, research in waste
management and emissions, greening the city (tree planting), construction of embankments
where needed, and training of local CBOs in environmental management and helping them to
acquire necessary work tools. Revenue from waste handling is expected to total over TSh 35
billion per year.
• Place a health officer and a community development officer in charge of environmental
sanitation and facilitation of environmental CBOs. The officers will be supported with: radio
communication facilities for in case they need to contact other officers for law enforcement
purposes; Mtaa security guards for control of unsanitary waste handling; computers for data
banking; cars (double cabin pick-ups) for street patrol on waste and hygiene issues; trailers
(as waste sub-stations) and tractors for pulling trailers that contain waste; a van for
community education, equipped with a public address system; and refuse collection trucks
and compactors. Mtaas will be zoned for decentralized management.
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