38. Waste disposal and clean-up campaigns

Overview

• Rubbish can attract rodents and create a breeding area for flies and mosquitoes. 
• Animal faeces near houses and in the village increase the number of flies and insects that carry germs, cause diseases and contaminate water sources.

What you need to know

• Animal faeces around houses and in the village attract and multiply the flies and insects that carry germs, cause diseases and contaminate water sources.
• Mosquitoes (which carry malaria, dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever) breed in standing water. 
• Rubbish should be burned or buried.
• Vegetation should be cleared from river banks and ponds near the village. 
• The area around water sources (pumps, wells) should be kept clean.

Tell community members how important it is to keep their community clean. Organize regular clean-up campaigns. Include houses and latrines, etc.

What you can do

•  Work with traditional and political leaders, the village health committee and other community partners to decide what needs to be cleaned up and how to go about it. 
• Help to organize activities on agreed “clean-up” days. 
• Ask community leaders to organize volunteer groups for each clean-up initiative. 
• Organize special clean-up days in which all members of the community participate (twice a year or more often if possible). 
• Organize a community initiative to plan and create a central garbage disposal area.

Motivate and support the community to work together to: 

• Keep the community free of animal faeces. 
• Keep the community free of puddles and other mosquito breeding sites.
• Keep the community free of rubbish and garbage (by burning or burying it).
• Clean the areas around water sources (such as pumps and wells).
• Create and maintain water soak pits around water sources.