The Mzuzu City Council (MCC) has urged the city’s residents to use refuse bins which the council has placed in several areas across the city.

Sanitation and hygiene in the city of Mzuzu is still a major challenge to some residents in the city as some residents have a habit of dumping waste anywhere.

“We want to put in on record that much as the council is struggling to meet some of its obligations in haulage of waste, the tendency is counterproductive to efforts of the council as it overstretches the work of our cleaners who instead of concentrating on other areas of services provision they spend time cleaning available mess,” said MCC spokesperson Macdonald Gondwe.

MCC has bins located in the city but some residence decide not to use  them but MCC  then asked residents to use the bins located in the city.

“We are urging our clients to make good use of the bins that are situated in the strategic spaces. The council is ready to collect the refuse from these spaces for final disposal, and we are urging people who are just dumping refuse in undesignated spaces to immediately stop or face the law,” he said.

Currently, the council takes waste collected from the city to Lusangazi forest where there is a temporary waste site.

Earlier this year, residents around Msiro waste site forced the council to close the site saying it was hazardous to them.

Talks for possible reopening of the site are still underway.