Addis to outsource waste disposal

The Addis Ababa Waste Management Agency is to outsource transportation of solid waste to micro enterprises and private companies in a bid to modernize the city’s waste disposal system.
Currently a majority of trash is collected door-to-door collection system and carried out by micro and small enterprises and the remainder by private companies and employees from the city administration. They carry waste using pushcarts to a common temporary storage points for the trucks to pick up them and take them to a dump.
Some of these disposal sites are on street sides and pedestrian walkways. Because trash collection workers make a low salary, collection is inconsistent.
“Outsourcing the collection, transportation and dumping of trash will solve many problems,” says Kassahun Tsige, Agency Director. The Agency plans to increase pay to micro enterprises and private companies.
For micro enterprises the agency will pay and additional 42 birr per cubic meter from the previous 132 birr. Private companies will get a seven birr increase from the pervious 97 birr per cubic meter fee. In Addis there are 74 solid waste collecting micro enterprises and 10 private solid waste collecting companies. “The new system should be more convenient,” Kassahun said.