This dataset was produced under the project City2Sea for litter management control and to protect the rich marine environment in Tanzania. Mtwara has plenty of natural resources. There are for example large mangrove system areas, that are important in climate change mitigation. 

Litter means solid waste that ends up in the environment. It is found everywhere but it might not be seen so often if the waste management system in the area is functioning. Every day, discarded packaging or other pieces of product used by people turn into trash that needs to be processed.

Litter is a huge issue in many urban areas. The problem may arise from people throwing waste on the environment, having uncovered bins and waste collection vehicles or open waste bags on the street. Litter spreads by wind, water or by animals. Improperly disposed litter travels long distances and may end up in our environment and disrupt it. This doesn’t just harm humans but also the ecosystems and animals within it.  

The data set’s purpose is to map out the waste collection points in Mtwara. The city has 18 administrative wards. This data set focuses on 6 of them, that are considered as truly urban by Town Planners: Shangani, Chuno, Ufukoni, Chikongola, Vigaeni, Railway. There are different kinds of waste collection points: skips, secondary waste collection points, dumps and informal waste collection points.

The mapping project was made in order to protect the environment better than before. The information obtained through this project can help to better control and improve the litter management in Tanzania. The data was collected between August and September 2022 by field surveys. The collectors are community mappers.

City2Sea project aims to provide future solutions for more effective waste management and thus strengthen the infrastructure. This data set is especially useful in city planning to further analyse the city areas in Mtwara where the demand for waste collection points is not yet met.