By Kudzaishe Chimonera
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has warned Harare residents and businesses that tougher penalties await those caught littering or illegally dumping waste as authorities step up enforcement measures across the capital.
In a statement, EMA Harare Provincial Environmental Manager Leon Mutungamiri said the agency was increasingly concerned by persistent littering despite ongoing waste collection services.
“The Environmental Management Agency has noted with concern littering and illegal dumping of waste by residents in Harare,” he said.
According to EMA, waste collection contractor Geo Pomona Waste Management Pvt Ltd has been collecting refuse from households and businesses as scheduled yet illegal dumping remains widespread.
Mutungamiri said EMA, Geo Pomona and the City of Harare launched a joint clean-up roadmap on 6 February 2026 aimed at tackling the problem through coordinated enforcement and public awareness.
Authorities say more than 205 fines have already been issued in Harare’s central business district with plain-clothes law enforcement officers deployed to identify and apprehend offenders.
EMA cited provisions under the Environmental Management Act and Statutory Instrument 6 of 2007 which prohibit the dumping of waste outside designated containers.
Under the regulations, transport operators must ensure passengers do not discard litter from vehicles while property owners and businesses are required to provide adequate waste bins on their premises.
Mutungamiri said the intensified operation seeks to restore cleanliness in the capital warning that institutions, vendors, transport operators and members of the public who violate waste management laws would face heavy fines.
The agency added that enforcement patrols and public awareness campaigns would be expanded to target illegal dumping sites, public transport operating without bins and businesses failing to meet waste management standards.
EMA has urged residents to dispose of waste responsibly and avoid dumping refuse at undesignated sites.
“It is our endeavour to bring sanity within the province — no place and no one is going to be left behind,” Mutungamiri said adding that maintaining a clean environment was both a public right and shared responsibility.
