Garbage collection in Goma

Two refuse collectors in blue overalls are emptying waste from a bin into a big rusty wheelbarrow. They push the barrow along a bumpy path and then manually load the waste it contains - some 60 kilograms (132 pounds) - on to a parked truck. Two other people help them. Collecting refuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo is hard work.

Waste disposal entrepreneur Joel Tembo Vwira demands a lot from his employees. The 34-year-old has set himself a goal which nobody else has ever accomplished in the past. He wants to turn Goma into an oasis of cleanliness.

Vwira set up his Business and Services Company seven years ago. Goma is an unlikely location for a waste disposal firm, because it has been battered by civil war and immersed in chaos for the last 20 years. Under such circumstances the need to keep the city clean hardly crosses anybody's mind - with the exception of Vwira's.

He told DW he sees cleanliness "as a challenge" and it was the "absence of refuse collection" which disturbed him the most. Before he set up his firm in 2008, local residents would simply toss their waste away anywhere they pleased. Piles of litter soon accumulated at key locations around the city such as road junctions and main thoroughfares. "This infuriated me," he said.

Personal obsession

Vwira admits quite frankly that he is obsessed with cleanliness. Even as a child he was always washing himself. These days he never goes anywhere without a bottle of disinfectant. He always rubs his hands with it before he touches food, books, files or a glass of water. A visit to Kenya strengthened his resolve to campaign for more cleanliness. The Kenyan capital Nairobi is a far cleaner, tidier place than Goma, he said. He imports his colored plastic dustbins from Kenya.

Vwira was rewarded for his determination and courage by the US embassy in DR Congo. The US government-sponsored "Young African Leaders Initiative" invited him to spend two months presenting his company to US business representatives. While in the US, he attended courses in corporate management and was able to expound on his future plans. He was showered with praise wherever he went.

In Goma, Vwira's company only collects refuse for the wealthy, which has drawn criticism. His weekly refuse collection service costs householders $11 (9.50 euros) a month, which too expensive for most Congolese. The DR Congo is a poverty-stricken country and fills the last place but one on the UN's Human Development Index.

Public health benefits

Nonetheless many residents appreciate his refuse collection service. When the litter and waste disappear, then so, too, do the health problems they cause. "Thanks to the refuse collection, we are now in a position to gather up rubbish and keep the environment clean," said Annie Muyisa, a 40-year-old local doctor. "It is especially important for children," she explained. Many babies die of diarrhea simply because they are constantly surrounded by dirt. Many people suffer from respiratory diseases. In the poorer districts, people burn their rubbish right in front of their dwellings, not knowing that plastic bags and bottles give off toxic fumes when placed on a fire.

Vwira's employees drive their truck laden with refuse over a bumpy road to a tip some 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from the city. The stench of rubbish is overpowering. A swarm of flies hovers over the tip. When Vwira's staff are off duty, street children go scavenging across the tip collecting scrap metal, cans and plastic bottles. They squabble - and even fight - over anything of value, however small. Vwira disapproves of their activities; he is worried about the children's health. The tip is located far too close to the surrounding villages. He says he wants to find a new tip.

Vwira's staff sort through the rubbish on the tip. Almost three quarters lands on a compost heap and the humus is then sold to gardeners. Plastic bags are passed on to a project for women living with disabilities. They wash and disinfect the bags and use them to make hair ornaments and caps.

Virwa's company is now earning $60,000 a year. His profit from those takings is 15 percent, that's $9,000. It is not enough to finance his plans for expanding the company. He wants to build a European-style recycling plant in which he would have to invest $1.5 million.

Slow change in attitudes

Some people in Goma say Vwira is crazy. But he has already entered into negotiations with the United Nations. "We are hoping to get funds from their environment and development programs," he said. Once he has upgraded and expanded his recycling operations, he wants to process all of Goma's waste.

Vwira is getting very little help from the country's politicians. The DR Congo has no legislation laying down rules and regulations for the proper disposal of waste. Hygiene and environmental issues don't attract much attention in the crisis-rídden region. Only five percent of Goma's inhabitants have their rubbish collected. Vwira says this lack of interest is a question of mentality, among other things. In rural areas, such services simply don't exist.

Vwira is hoping that the provincial government will eventually get round to pass legislation regulating waste disposal.

Vwira doesn't give up easily. He paid his way through business school by selling gas, bread and telephone cards. Slowly, he says, the authorities are starting to show more engagement for the environment. "I'm optimistic for the future," he said.