South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Jenifer James
The Deputy Mayor for Environment and Sanitation in Juba City Council, Juma Moses Michael, has revealed that the city is spending over SSP 17 million each day on waste management due to ongoing challenges related to unregulated waste disposal.
This announcement comes as residents of Juba express their appreciation for recent improvements in waste collection. On Thursday, many reported a noticeable increase in cleanliness across the capital, something they say they have not witnessed in years.
Speaking to The Dawn Newspaper on Thursday, the Deputy Mayor for Environment, Juma Moses, acknowledged the financial strain but stated that the efforts are necessary to address the scale of the problem.
“We don’t have a specific budget allocated for waste management,” he said. “But we spend over 17 million SSP per day because of the nature of our waste disposal. Sometimes residents dump waste recklessly, even in areas that have already been cleaned. This forces us to collect garbage more than once a day, especially along Airport Road and other busy streets.”
The city council has rolled out several initiatives to improve sanitation, including daily cleaning operations, weekly clean-up campaigns, and a house-to-house garbage collection system. These programmes are supported by public education efforts.
“We engage with local communities and schools through awareness programmes to encourage proper waste disposal,” said Michael. “We’re also working closely with quarter councils to disseminate cleaning information directly to residents.”
To create sustainable solutions, the city is also seeking partnerships to support recycling efforts.
“We are engaging partners to help us address the issue of plastic and aluminium waste through recycling,” he said. “We have offered tax incentives to recycling companies, and many have now become our partners.”
Currently, the city rents a dumping site from Juba County but has plans to construct a modern landfill.
“We are looking forward to developing our own landfill for better waste management,” he added.
Michael emphasised that long-term cleanliness depends on cooperation from the public.
“Keeping Juba clean is not the sole responsibility of the city council—it’s a collective responsibility,” he said. “We also support community-based organisations and organised groups by providing garbage trucks and plastic bags.”
Residents like Jameson Loro are calling for more enforcement to support the city’s progress.
“Juba City Council has just started their work, so they should continue and introduce penalties for anyone who throws garbage on the streets,” Loro said.
However, Nyandeng remarked that for the first time her residential area is clean, and the city council can now collect garbage free from the area.
“For the first time, my area looks so clean and nice,” said Nyadeng Lual Kur, a resident of Gudele Block 8. “We have been battling with garbage issues for the past three years. The city council used to collect waste fees without doing their job. But now, I can proudly pay because they collect it daily.”
Despite ongoing challenges, the city’s improvement in waste management has sparked renewed public trust and a shift in perception towards Juba City Council’s sanitation efforts.
