Abstract

Generally, cities in the developing world face challenges in solid waste management and the situation in Limbe, Cameroon is no different. The city has an urbanization rate of 52% and it is estimated that its population will reach 150,000 inhabitants by 2020. Proper planning of waste management from generation to disposal will therefore ease waste management in the future.

Accordingly, this research seeks to examine To assess the type and quantity of waste generated in the Limbe municipality; To assess the municipal waste management practices in Limbe and To investigate the problems faced by stakeholders in waste management in Limbe. In carrying out the study interviews, questionnaires and participant observation were used as the methods to collect data. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and excel spreadsheet. The results reveal that, urbanization, rising income, increasing commercialization and household size leads to an increase in the generation of Household solid waste. Being a fast growing town managing solid waste in Limbe has become a big headache for municipal authorities in Limbe. The Limbe City Council and central state authority need to commit more resources for the keeping of Limbe clean and green and bring in community participation. The study recommends that a special agency for waste management should be created since this will reduce the confusion associated with having several agencies working on waste management at the same time. Also, Municipal authorities should start introducing composting and recycling programs of waste management.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background To The Study

Rapid urban development facing developing countries including Cameroon has come with serious environmental challenges concerning solid waste management. Solid waste arising from domestic, social and industrial activities is increasing in quantity and variety as a result of growing population, rising standards of living in most African countries and the development of technology (Dickerson, 1999). Solid waste management (SWM) is a common term that encompasses a wide variety of activities and practices that describes unwanted residues of any given culture.

Human activities generate waste which can be harmful to the environment, animals, plants and the ecosystem. However, only a careful management can limit the damage done to the environment and conserve scarce resources (Powell, 2001). SWM is an important facet of sustainable development for any country and global initiatives support the prioritizing of SWM. Global effort to maintain the quality of the earth’s environment is linked to sustainable development and is now propounded by governments as well as international organizations. For instance, a clean environment and effective waste management systems was one of the UN Millennium Development Goals MDGs. This recommendation, (on like in Agenda 21) MDGs indirectly advocates sustainable Solid waste management (SWM) within the framework of the ‘seventh goal’ which addresses environmental sustainability. The aim is to foster the integration of the principles of sustainable development (SD) into each country’s development policies and programs (UNDP, 2007).

Waste generation dates back to man’s origin and the early way of life which principally was foraging through the nomadic experience and pattern of life. The abandonment of the nomadic way of life led to the creation of permanent communities. With mutations and evolutions that have accompanied humanity, waste that was earlier given low priority in most communities increasingly gained attention for proper management. Recently, and through communal and municipal actions, conferences and training workshops as well as government action waste management has become a conjecture for responsible public health and safety (Pichtel, 2005).

The fundamental environmental issue in industrial and developing countries throughout the world over waste is the identification and management of waste streams (Twardowska, 2004).  As urbanization continues to take place, the management of solid waste becomes a major challenge posing major public health and environmental problems for many countries. As a result, development must be sustainable, in the sense of reducing the ecological footprint while simultaneously improving the quality of life – for ours and future generations – within the capacity limits of the globe (Lundström, 2007).

The characteristics and quantity of Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSW) arising from domestic, commercial, and industrial activities is not only the result of growing population, rising standards of living and technological development, but also due to the abundance and type of the natural resources from the country or community (Dongqing et. al, 2010). The approach for SWM also varies and should be compatible with the nature of a given society. For instance, many studies on MSW management structures and systems in developing countries have revealed that the quantity of waste and composition vary according to the characteristics of the area and the management must be adapted to limitations common to such environment. These limitations are attributed to immaturity in terms of expertise in developing appropriate models and effective legal framework for the MSW management. As a result, the citizens and the community depend on the municipal authorities for solid waste collection and disposal (Puentes, 2004).

Consequently, looking at the problems and challenges that have plagued municipal authorities in carrying out their duties is pertinent because it will help to design possible solutions. Such a prospect will facilitate the task of the municipal authorities by guiding their decision making process, practice and help encourage research on sustainable ways to address this growing problem.

According to Pearce, (1994) developing countries face several major problems as a result of solid waste management and has been classifies thus:

–           Health hazards from uncollected waste

–          Health hazards from collected but poorly disposed of waste

–           Economic burden of waste disposal on towns and cities.

According to Flintoff, (1984), the total population of developing countries accounts for more than 70 % of the world’s population. Waste management in these countries is of grave concern from two points of view: Firstly, the process of urbanization and population concentration that is inextricably linked to waste management issues is progressing at a pace that is much faster than was ever experienced by today’s industrialized countries. The issue of waste management in developing countries, therefore, has emerged as a critical and impending disaster. Secondly, these countries often have difficulty in streamlining the institutional systems, administrative bodies, management capabilities and human resources that are needed to take the lead in solving solid waste problems. It is thus difficult for them to respond effectively to the emerging challenges of solid waste management.

In Cameroon, like other African countries, waste management is poorly practiced. The study of Manga et al, (2007) indicated that solid waste management services are rudimentary. The practice is primarily concerned with the collection and dumping of waste without proper management methods. This form of management is due to factors such as inadequate financial resources, low levels of law enforcement as well as poor governance and lack of human resource. Moreover, current regulations do not adequately address waste handling or disposal. Inefficient implementation of waste management policies and documentation is affected by a duplication iof functions and responsibilities between several governmental agencies and the local councils (Manga et al, 2007).

Furthermore, the infancy of literature on local cases makes it inadequate for the proper functioning of waste management. In this regard, waste management in Limbe is inefficient in hazard minimization because sustained efforts have not been developed in the domain of waste education, collection, transportation, treatment and final disposal.

The sustainable management of solid waste systems is necessary in order to minimize environmental and public health risks worldwide (Manga et al, 2007). The balance between the specific components of this system in delivering sustainable waste management are already well understood and established in most developed countries, unlike in developing countries like Cameroon. Waste management could be efficient through the involvement of all stakeholders

 

that is, waste generators, waste processors, formal and informal sectors, financial institutions and private initiatives such as non-governmental and community based organizations (Manga et al, 2007).

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

Public planning in the area of solid waste management is an extremely complex subject especially when dealing with planning collection routes, sitting processing facilities, as well as choosing locations for landfills and planning what will become of the landfill once they are full. Such challenges and the impact of waste disposal on the environment have led to the search for sustainable solutions in waste management in both developed and developing countries.

The disposal and burning of domestic waste can cause profound strain on the environment, contamination of ground water resources, organic and inorganic pollution of nearby surface

water and carbon dioxide released from landfills as the main disposal site. Economic and population growth, urbanization and industrialization as well as commercialization are responsible for the challenges that national and the local government council’s face in their efforts to organize a sustainable waste management.

In 2006 the global amount of municipal solid waste generated reached 2.02 billion tones, representing a 7% annual increase since 2003 (Global Waste Management Market Report 2007). Before now studies have been conducted on waste management in Cameroon and in Limbe. For instance, Mbeng et al. (2012) carried out a study on waste characterization in Limbe as an element of household waste management operations. The study focused on the composition of household waste in the municipality. Manga et al (2007) examined waste management in Cameroon and looked at policies and how these institutions are set to better handle this situation. This study therefore attempts to identify and document the existing practices, problems of solid waste management in Limbe, as well as propose possible solution for an effective and sustainable waste management in the Limbe municipality.

Waste management is an exercise that has moved from manual to scientific operations. Such include when planning collection routes, siting processing facilities, as well as choosing locations for landfills and planning what will become of the landfill once it is full. AS many waste managers will attest, planning routes for garbage, yard-waste and recycling collection is complex and includes many factors such as planning collection routes, including the number of stops, fuel efficiency of the collection vehicles, as well as measuring each load of garbage into the trucks.

To this effect, efforts have been made to enhance solid waste management from urban agglomerations like HYSACAM in Limbe,, yet many problems persist and this is the focus of this study. Such problems include the measure of collection/week, the distance and zonal mapping of the collection routes as well as inappropriate dump site. Furthermore, there is the problem of a very ineffective process of measuring the volume and weight of each truck load of collected waste. Although these challenges could come from multiple sources such as the lack of the political will from the government to allow local councils to autonomously handle the waste management, local councils themselves need to develop effective and sustainable system and implement sound practices and policies for sustainable waste management.

This study therefore, examines the way forward for the Limbe City Council in matters of waste management in partnership with HYSACAM by asking the following questions:

1.3 The Objectives Of The Study

1.3.1 Main Objective

The general objective of this study is to assess the practices, problems and prospects of municipal solid waste management in the Limbe municipality.

1.3.2 Specific Objectives

The specific objectives will include the following:

1. To assess the type and quantity of waste generated in the Limbe municipality.
2. To assess the municipal waste management practices in Limbe.
3. To investigate the problems faced by stakeholders in waste management in Limbe.

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