In the fight to tackle waste pollution, individuals, together with action groups in the English-speaking Regions of Cameroon, have taken the initiative to clean cities and free them from plastics.
Over the years, communities in Cameroon have relied on HYSACAM, Cameroon’s loan garbage collector, to solve the problem of poor waste disposal. This has proven to be inefficient, as heaps of garbage can be seen even in the country’s big cities. There have been recent cases of flood in Bamenda and Buea. The main cause has said to be plastic bags and waste products blocking drainages from rain water to flow. Property has been destroyed by flooding, people have lost their lives.
Dr. Tanwie Gilbert, environmental activist and researcher, employs entrepreneurs to invest in the waste management industry. Gilbert talks about separating waste at the level of origin. “You should have different trash bins for putting plastics, bottles, cans and papers in. This helps the management units dispose of them easily and recycling companies collect the material they need with ease,” he says.
Organisations like NAMé Recycling collect plastics and give them a second life. SOCAVER collects bottles to recycle into several glass products.
Other non-governmental organisations like the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa and Natures Breath sent out volunteers to sensitise people in the Southwest Region on waste sorting. They targeted women as a focal point of sensitisation and behavioral change as women control the households, believing households are some of the greatest producers of waste.
People have been advised to subscribe to waste management units like, “Let’s Dispose Your Trash” located in the Northwest Region.
Waste not properly disposed is creating a health and environmental hazard. Meanwhile, the solution is not as farfetched as many think. Dr. Tanwie even suggests fines can be a way to arm-twist people to respect the environment and manage waste properly.
Hubert Bodang, a farmer, encourages other farmers to join him reduce garbage from the environment by reusing waste plastics to grow their crops. “Thrown away containers, buckets can also serve as plant nurseries and flower pots,” he adds.
By Didier Vernyuy Yangeh
