The role of informal recycling in poverty alleviation and solid waste management in cities in developing countries has been receiving increased attention. This study explores the integration of the informal recycling sector with the Harare City Council's solid waste management system, focusing on the Pomona dumpsite. The extent of this integration was compared with interventions proposed in InteRa, a new way of evaluating the integration of informal recyclers with the waste management systems of cities in developing countries. Our results suggest that the Harare City Council, which had the vision of transforming itself into a world‐class city, failed to fully integrate the informal recycling sector. We suggest to policymakers that complete integration of the informal sector will not necessarily prevent cities from achieving such visions. Rather, addressing the neglected interventions may help in achieving their visions.

A study was carried out in March 2010 at Firle Sewage Works in Harare, Zimbabwe to determine the effects of long term wastewater irrigation on the concentrations of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Mn, Cd, Pb, Ni, Fe and Cr) in soil, and their subsequent accumulation in maize plants. The study revealed that long term wastewater use for irrigation results in heavy metal accumulation in soils and bioaccumulation in plants beyond maximum permissible limits (MPL) for both humans and livestock consumption. Lead had highest transfer factor and iron had the least transfer factor. The soil pH was found to be less acidic (pH = 5.6) in soils exposed to waste water than in soils where no wastewater had been applied (pH = 5). As a recommendation there is need for phytoextraction of heavy metals by intercropping maize plants with local agro forestry shrubs to reduce amount of heavy metals in the soil.

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Human settlement in protected areas (PAs) is a major conservation concern in developing nations as it fuels human-wildlife conflicts (HWCs). The objectives of this study were to (i) determine the key wildlife species causing conflict, (ii) assess the perceptions of residents toward the major causes of conflict with wildlife, and (iii) evaluate the attitudes of residents toward problem animals. We conducted face-to-face semistructured interviews and two reconnaissance field surveys with 290 respondents residing in Save Valley Conservancy (SVC), in Southeast Lowveld Zimbabwe from January 2014 to June 2014. Results showed that lions (Panthera leo), spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), elephants (Loxodonta africana), and Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) were the major animals involved in the conflict. Our results also showed that the land-use change from wildlife ranching to farming and contested land ownership were perceived as the major causes of HWCs. Respondents who had lived in the area longer were more likely to agree that change in land use (Ordinal logistic regression: B = 1.32, Odds Ratio (OR) = 3.74) and contested land ownership (B = .67, OR = 1.95) were major sources of conflict. In addition, increased encounters between people and wildlife triggered mixed attitudes toward problem animals. For example, males were less likely to have a negative attitude toward problem animals compared to females (Multinomial logistic regression: B = −1.39; OR = .25). Residents who had stayed for less than five years were more likely to have a negative attitude toward problem animals than those who had stayed longer (B = 3.6; OR = 36.71). These results suggest that there is a need to relook at the resettlement pattern because coordinating HWCs and implementing sustainable conservation objectives are easy in a well-planned settlement. Stakeholders need to come together and create awareness of the use of HWCs mitigations measures.

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