Human activities such as house waste generation, improper waste disposal and to larger extent pollution continue to have a brunt on the environment. These are leading to changes in average weather conditions such as temperature and rainfall, affecting natural resources and livelihoods.

Community engagement and sensitization is therefore recognized as critical to the attitudinal change and adoption of technologies. In this regard, CSIR-Institute of Industrial Research and its partners have sensitized parents of the Umar Bun Hatab School, Madina Zongo on the management of household waste using the biodigester technology under a Lancaster University, UK sponsored project dubbed ACTUATE.

ACTUATE is a waste-to-energy project  that focuses on Community-based waste-to-energy systems that have the potential to manage pathogens, improve sanitation and health outcomes and power to homes and schools, as well as supporting peri-urban and rural agriculture.

The exercise was a follow up to earlier engagements with other key stakeholders on the biodigester technology and how it could be replicated in homes within the community as a sustainable waste management technology. In all about 180 parents participated in the workshop.