Household solid waste management in Cameroon: limit anarchic dumpsites in Yaounde through source segregation and door-to-door collection

Abstract

Cameroon has more than 400 approved solid waste management facilities that roam in towns’ disposal sites every day in search of recoverable waste. Despite this large number of operators, unauthorised waste dumps in Cameroon’s major cities are constantly created and expanded, often close to residential areas. The survey carried out among hauseholds and waste treatment companies in order to understand the origin of this phenomenon in the city of Yaounde reveals that, the proliferation of illegal dumps is mainly due to failure in the pre-collection system, but above all to the fact that, waste is transported there mixed together, leading to the contamination of recyclable waste by decomposing organic matter. Contamination of recyclable waste reduces its value and discourages waste treatment facilities, which are contented with collecting only a negligible proportion of the waste they are interested in. As a result, waste will remain in disposal sites for a longer time, accumulating as the days go by. Source segregation of waste and door-to-door collection help to preserve recyclable waste by limiting its contamination by fermentable wet organic waste. Implementing these measures will considerably reduce, if not eradicate, uncontrolled rubbish dumps in Cameroon's urban areas.