The City of Bulawayo is exploring waste management upgrades similar to Harare’s facility, following reports that Geo Pomona Waste Management has handled 614,144.47 tonnes of cumulative waste as of October 2026.
Bulawayo City Council Inspects Harare Operations
City of Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart led a delegation to the Geo Pomona Waste Management plant in Harare on Thursday to evaluate its waste sorting infrastructure and landfill operations. The visiting officials included Councillor Edwin Ndlovu, Town Clerk Christopher Dube, several councillors, and senior municipal staff.
The site visit allowed council members to inspect sorting operations that process thousands of tonnes of refuse daily. Geo Pomona took over the Pomona site in April 2022 after it had functioned as an uncontrolled dumpsite for 37 years. Its sorting plant, commissioned on June 5, 2025, possesses a processing capacity of up to 1,080 tonnes per day.
Mayor Coltart Questions Affordability for Local Ratepayers
While Mayor Coltart acknowledged the necessity of modern waste processing infrastructure for Bulawayo, he emphasized that financial viability remains a key consideration. The delegation intends to examine the company’s financial structure and assess the exact cost implications for local ratepayers before committing to any binding agreements.
Geo Pomona was pleased to host the City of Bulawayo delegation and to show how the site is managed. For 37 years, Pomona was an uncontrolled dumpsite. Since April 2022, Geo Pomona has operated it as a managed waste site, with a sorting plant commissioned on 5 June 2025 and a… pic.twitter.com/fai9JJp40F
The critical thing for us, though, is what will it cost, and is it affordable for us?
Mayor Coltart stated after the tour, adding that the municipality possesses no authority to finalize a contract without adhering to formal legal processes and reviewing exact pricing proposals.
Ngozi Mine Pressures Drive Collaborative Search
The municipal inspection follows a government directive instructing local authorities to engage with Geo Pomona regarding waste solutions. Mayor Coltart highlighted the severe environmental challenges at Bulawayo’s Ngozi Mine dumpsite, noting that toxic fumes from the site frequently impact neighboring residential communities such as Cowdray Park.
We understand that we have a major problem at Ngozi Mine,
Mayor Coltart said during the visit. It needs a sorting facility, and it needs a processing facility. It has discharged toxic fumes, which particularly affect the people of Cowdray Park, and that’s unacceptable.
The city council currently lacks the capacity to resolve the Ngozi Mine crisis independently, making external partnerships a necessity.
Geo Pomona Processes over Six Hundred Thousand Tonnes
Operational records released by Geo Pomona indicate that the company has processed a cumulative total of 614,144.47 tonnes of waste as of October 26, 2026. That total breaks down into 435,331.23 tonnes cleared from illegal dumps, 143,160.24 tonnes gathered via door-to-door collections, and 35,653 tonnes collected from skip bins.
📸 Bulawayo mayor David Coltart today led a delegation of councillors and senior officials on a tour of Geo Pomona, the company running Harare’s waste management. Geo Pomona is one of three companies on a shortlist to takeover waste collection and management in Bulawayo.Coltart… pic.twitter.com/aMQCW8xH0Z
The facility currently employs 1,514 workers, with women comprising more than half of the total workforce. Geo Pomona management confirmed readiness to share engineering expertise and operational methodologies with other local authorities across Zimbabwe.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Bulawayo Waste Inquiry
Why did Bulawayo officials visit the Harare waste plant?
Mayor David Coltart led municipal leaders to inspect Geo Pomona’s engineered waste management infrastructure in response to a government directive and to seek solutions for Bulawayo’s troubled Ngozi Mine dumpsite.
BULAWAYO LOOKS TO GEO POMONA FOR SOLUTION TO WASTE CRISISBulawayo Mayor Sen David Coltart is leading a second high-level delegation from Bulawayo on a tour of the Geo Pomona Waste-to-Energy Plant in Harare as the city explores a lasting solution to its waste management crisis. pic.twitter.com/MBC1WdmbiW
What are the primary financial concerns for the City of Bulawayo?
The municipal council must determine the exact costs associated with adopting the Geo Pomona model and whether local residents can afford potential tariff adjustments resulting from a commercial waste contract.
How much waste has the Geo Pomona facility processed?
According to company records, the facility handled a cumulative 614,144.47 tonnes of waste as of October 26, 2026, utilizing a sorting plant capable of processing up to 1,080 tonnes daily.
BULAWAYO MAYOR DAVID COLTART IMPRESSED BY GEO POMONA WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY! 🇿🇼Today, 29 October 2026, Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart led a high-powered delegation comprising the Deputy Mayor, Town Clerk, councillors and senior council officials on a tour of the Geo Pomona… pic.twitter.com/YIGovf6b3y
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