The waste generation in Lusaka has been estimated to be in the order of 25,000 tonnes per month, but the amounts registered at the disposal site are way below this estimation and this is one of the most important reasons for the implementation of the new waste management system.

Current statistics show that the new waste management system is producing results, because the average amount of waste disposed  in 2004 was 2,342 tonnes per month but a significant increase is  noticed in 2005 when the average did not just increase but more than double its initial amount to 5,013 tonnes per month. With further cooperation from all waste generators - residents, commercial outlets, institutions, industry, etc - future statistics will show greater improvement in the effectiveness of the system.

Fluctuations in the amounts are due to factors such as collection of historical waste as well as the tendency of the waste to weigh more during the rainy season because of the water content in the waste.

Here are some of the waste statistics from January 2004 to December 2005 based on the waste registered at the WMU disposal site: