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On 14 July 2004 nations all over the world will commemorate the "Global Day of Action on Waste and Incineration." This is the day to reflect on how sustainable we are managing waste? In Swaziland, solid waste management issues are guided by the National Solid Waste Management Strategy, 2003 (NSWMS) whose development objective is:

"To develop, implement and maintain an integrated waste management system that will reduce the adverse impact of all forms of solid waste and economic development in Swaziland, the health of its people and the quality of the environment and resources."

Waste management challenges
Growing waste management problems in Swaziland are seen as a symptom of many factors such as industrialisation, consumer patterns, urbanisation and population growth, absence of a waste management information system, lack of strategic planning, lack of institutional waste management capacity, lack of enforcement of existing legislation (Waste regulations 2000) and substandard landfills.

Current practices
Society continues to generate more waste and to change this alarming trend strong political and industrial measures are urgently needed. There is indiscriminate dumping and burning of waste. The country is flooded with plastic waste, popularly known as,  “Swazi flowers.”  Burning of waste is the norm and many of us believe that it’s the best way to get rid of the waste. 

Dangers of burning waste?

• Did you know that burning waste does not get rid of the waste? but changes it into toxic (poison), which float in the air resulting in air pollution. Burning can put as many as 190 different dangerous chemicals into the air. 
• It is very dangerous to burn the following rubbish (even in your braai or in your backyard); Plastics (e.g. plastic packets and wire coated in plastic), batteries, tyres, fluorescent lights, electronic equipment, pressurized containers (spray cans, gas cylinders) and metals. 
• Burning can make people sick. People who live near waste burning areas have more health problems. They get sick easily and they have a high risk of getting cancer. They also may find it difficult to get pregnant and have children due to the effects of the by-products of burnt substances to the endocrine system. 
• Poisonous substances from burnt waste can enter our bodies when we breathe in polluted air, or when we eat food that has been contaminated (touched by dirt or poison). For example, these chemicals can settle on grass, and then cows eat the grass. When we drink the cows’ milk or eat beef, these chemicals enter our bodies. Similarly, polluted air particles can settle on leafy vegetables and other plants we grow as food and we can consume the poison. 
• Dangerous ash from burnt substances is much more poisonous than the waste before it was burned. This is because new substances are made when the waste burns such as dioxins, furans and heavy metals. This means that the ash still has to be thrown away safely on a special hazardous landfill site.