VOA标准英语2013--Cleaning Up Nairobi's 'Takataka' Cheaply and Effectively

 

Cleaning Up Nairobi's 'Takataka' Cheaply and Effectively

In the Kangemi suburb of Nairobi, residents carefully avoid the piles of trash that have become permanent features of the city’s landscape. One social enterprise, Takataka Solutions, aims to change the terrain¹. 

Takataka, which means trash in Kiswahili, offers affordable² waste collection services to Kangemi residents. Daniel Paffenholz founded the company in 2011.

"Legally speaking, in Nairobi the city council is supposed to provide waste management services for all residents. That is about 3.5 million people. Effectively the city has 8 trucks," he explained.

The limited capacity of the city to collect trash means that many private companies have filled in the gap. But few of these serve lower income neighborhoods such as Kangemi. Two thirds of the area’s 2,000 tons of waste remains³ uncollected.

"You can dump it in a river, you can burn it, you can bury it in the ground. You can pay someone to take it the next illegal dumpsite which is 100 meters away," Paffenholz said.

The environmental consequences of these practices are substantial. Unregulated dumpsites contaminate ground water and burning trash produces harmful emissions⁴. Rivers clogged⁵ with waste become breeding grounds for malaria⁶.

"We didn't have any place where you can throw the takataka, we just dispose them anywhere, anyhow, even on the roads," said Alex Cera, a Kangemi resident.

Cera now pays nearly $1 a month to have Takataka Solutions collect his trash.

At that price, Paffenholz estimates 90- 95 percent of households in Nairobi could afford waste collection. 

The challenge is convincing residents that it’s worth the money.

"They were used to not paying, they were using other ways to dump their waste. Convincing them that it is important for you and the environment as a whole, sometimes it’s hard," stated Elizabeth Aluoch, Takataka salesperson⁷.

The company asks its 6,000 clients to separate trash into three separate bins⁸ for organic, recyclable, and residual⁹ waste. Paffenholz says this is difficult behavior to change, but fundamental to keeping costs down.

Eighty percent of collected waste is recycled or composted, minimizing the load sent to the municipal dump at Dandora. Collection trucks charge between $100 and $200 for each trip.

The organic waste is handled at Takataka’s composting facility in Kangemi.

"We are processing 3-4 tons of organic waste a day. There are no smells and no emissions," Paffenholz noted¹⁰. "We are just 10 meters next to residential¹¹ houses and there have been no problems whatsoever¹²."

Takataka is now testing the resulting batches¹³ of fertilizer in farms upcountry. 

1 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

2 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

5 clogged   

（使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞

参考例句：

• The narrow streets were clogged with traffic. 狭窄的街道上交通堵塞。
• The intake of gasoline was stopped by a clogged fuel line. 汽油的注入由于管道阻塞而停止了。

6 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

7 salesperson   

n.售货员，营业员，店员

参考例句：

• A salesperson works in a shop.售货员在商店工作。
• Vanessa is a salesperson in a woman's wear department.凡妮莎是女装部的售货员。

8 bins   

n.大储藏箱( bin的名词复数 )；宽口箱（如面包箱，垃圾箱等）v.扔掉，丢弃( bin的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Garbage from all sources was deposited in bins on trolleys. 来自各方的垃圾是装在手推车上的垃圾箱里的。 来自辞典例句
• Would you be pleased at the prospect of its being on sale in dump bins? 对于它将被陈列在倾销箱中抛售这件事，你能欣然接受吗？ 来自辞典例句

9 residual   

adj.复播复映追加时间；存留下来的，剩余的

参考例句：

• There are still a few residual problems with the computer program.电脑程序还有一些残留问题。
• The resulting residual chromatism is known as secondary spectrum.所得到的剩余色差叫做二次光谱。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

12 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

13 batches   

一批( batch的名词复数 )； 一炉； （食物、药物等的）一批生产的量； 成批作业

参考例句：

• The prisoners were led out in batches and shot. 这些囚犯被分批带出去枪毙了。
• The stainless drum may be used to make larger batches. 不锈钢转数设备可用来加工批量大的料。