From now on, all shops and kiosks’ owners of Mukaza commune will pay BIF 5000 per month to Burundi Cleaning Company (BCCO) in charge of disposing of garbage in this commune. Shopkeepers and kiosk owners in Bwiza denounce this measure they describe unfair since they say they do not produce much more waste than households of over seven people that pay BIF 2000 per month each.
Bwiza Zone office
The senior adviser to Bujumbura Mayor says the Mayor has recently drawn up a document that provides details about tariffs on waste collection. “Prices vary by business sectors,” says the senior advisor to the Mayor.
BCCO agents have come at least twice since the Mayor has fixed the new tariff. They ask the kiosk and shop owners to pay BIF 500 Fbu regardless of the trade they do. My boss has already paid for this month, but we find that it is unfair since we do not produce rubbish, says a manager of a small store of drinks located in Bwiza, in the center of Bujumbura.
Edouard Nkeshimana, a kiosk owner says he cannot pay BIF 5000 to BCCO while he does not produce rubbish. “Can I believe that bottles of beverages produce more waste than a household of more than seven people? I made it clear to BCCO management that I cannot pay this amount, “says Nkeshimana
Patrice Magnus Nyandwi, the chief of staff at the BCCO says the Mayor has taken appropriate measures.
For him, this amount set by the Mayor matches well with the work done by the company. Nyandwi regrets that 80% of the inhabitants who benefited from BCCO services did not pay. Nyandwi says now the company will remove garbage from homes or shops whose owners have signed a contract. According to Nyandwi, these shopkeepers should understand that despite they produce little waste, they will benefit from the services of BCCO, which cleans public places like streets and gutters.
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