Residents in Mzuzu have shut down the Msilo Waste Management site saying children easily enter the site to scavenge and the site increases the risk of diseases.
The community members also accuse the council of failing to properly manage mounting garbage at the facility.
“We live near the waste site and papers and other things are almost everywhere even in our houses, and the fence itself is a risk to our children because it is not secured. Our kids easily jump in to collect waste inside,” he said.
He added that chiefs around the site approached the Mzuzu City Council demanding the closure of the waste site but the council is failing to take action.
When they stormed the site on Friday, the community members also damaged and looted property belonging to Mzuzu City Council.
Mzuzu City Council public relations officer McDonald Gondwe said the council is aware that the site has been sealed by community.
He said: “The closure is going to affect our operations mainly in the management of waste.”
The waste site was constructed with funding from the European Union and Plan International. It was opened in 2017.
