Mpilo’s New Incinerator to Burn Away Medical Waste Crisis for Good
Mpilo Central Hospital is set to commission a modern medical waste incinerator, marking a major leap forward in healthcare waste management across Bulawayo and surrounding districts.
The facility, developed through a partnership between the Government of Zimbabwe and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is in its final stages of commissioning and expected to become operational soon.
The new incinerator replaces an outdated system that operated under limited capacity and posed serious environmental and public health risks.
With advanced technology now in place, the facility is designed to meet international environmental standards, ensuring safer and cleaner disposal of biomedical waste.
“We are now in the last stages of putting everything in place. It will significantly reduce harmful emissions and ensure that medical waste is treated in compliance with international standards,” said site manager Engineer Bongani Dlamini.
German technical expert Marco Loureiro is currently overseeing the cold and hot commissioning phases — essential steps before the incinerator goes live.
“We will soon begin the cold commissioning to test all systems without heat, followed by the hot commissioning, where the incinerator will be fired up for the first time. This step is crucial to ensure the facility runs safely and efficiently,” Loureiro explained.
Beyond the incinerator itself, the project includes the procurement of waste management vehicles to support efficient collection and transportation of medical waste throughout Bulawayo and nearby districts.
Mpilo Central Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Narcisius Dzvanga, said the initiative will benefit not only Mpilo but also surrounding health institutions.
“This is not just about Mpilo, but about strengthening waste management systems for surrounding health institutions,” he noted.
As reported by ZBC, the incinerator is expected to serve multiple healthcare centres and become a benchmark for sustainable waste management in Zimbabwe’s health sector.
Once operational, it will significantly reduce contamination risks and improve health service delivery, aligning Zimbabwe’s medical waste practices with global standards.
