CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1)             Background of Study

According to section 261.2 Resources Convention and Recovery Act (RCRA) solid waste is defined as “any garbage or refuse or sludge from a waste water plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semi solid, or contained gaseous materials resulting from industrial, commercial, mining and agricultural operations and from community activities (EPA 2011). Every unwanted or non-useful solid substance generated in any human population is referred to as solid waste. Over time, consumption practices and activities of economic nature have resulted in generation of municipal solid waste which is basically waste that is generated from different sectors of a society such as households, educational, health and commercial institutions, public places, etc., and which is taken care of either directly or indirectly by the municipal or local authorities. (EEA, 2009) defines municipal solid waste as: “…waste from households and other waste which because of its nature or composition is similar to waste from households. 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).

Waste is either biodegradable or non-biodegrable. Biodegradable waste means any waste that is capable of undergoing anaerobic or aerobic decomposition, such as food and garden waste, and paper and paperboard. The reverse is true for non-biodegradable waste i.e. waste that cannot undergo either anaerobic or aerobic decomposition e.g. metals or bottles”. The components of such waste, often an assorted mix, are seldom the same for different areas due to factors ranging from standard of living and habits of residents to resources and climatic conditions found in each geographical location. Municipal solid waste is often generated in urban areas and has contents that are organic and inorganic nature and 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). The reverse is mostly the case in the developed part of the world and this is regarded as a significantly distinctive feature from the waste generated in their developing counterpart. Nowadays, solid waste disposal in landfills is still a widespread occurrence throughout the world, even if municipal prefer reduction, recycling and reuse. 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 of functions and responsibilities between several governmental agencies and the local councils (Manga et al, 2007).

Waste can be generally described as any item or material that is generated and disposed of or intended to be disposed of by a person that has custody of it. However, in addition to considerations of legal nature and geographical location of generation, different definitions of waste exist based on conditions under which they occur. A process whereby strategic combination of methods is employed to efficiently regulate waste from source of generation up to the final disposal point is referred to as waste management, and the aim is to maintain a perpetually safe and healthy environment at minimal cost. Waste management has been identified as a challenge in many countries all over the world, much more so in developing countries, and a correlation has been identified between accelerated urbanization, population explosion, industrial development and rate of waste generation in cities found in such countries. Waste production rates are increasing exponentially as the world population grows powered by changes in life style, development and consumption of non-bio degradable materials (Asase et al 2009). 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).

 Sustainable Solid Waste Management is an intergenerational concept. It has been defined as development that fulfills today’s generation needs without blighting the opportunity for successive generations to fulfill their own. 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).

 The whole process of collecting, transferring, treating, recycling, recovering resources and disposing solid waste in metropolitan areas defines municipal solid waste management municipal solid waste management. Sustainable municipal solid waste management should entail handling of waste (from collection, treatment to disposal) in a manner that ensures continued safety of public and environment. 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).

1.2)            Problem statement

Waste management is an exercise that has moved from manual to scientific operation. Such include when planning collection routes, siting processing facilities, as well as choosing locations for landfills and planning what will become of landfill once it is full. 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 agglomeration, yet many problems persist and this is the focus of this study. Such problems include lack of vehicles for the transportation of waste to landfill, the reluctance of the government to see that environmental laws are put into place, the unawareness of the population of the effects of improper waste management, the crisis in the Anglophone region that led to the destruction of waste management vehicles.  Furthermore, the recent outbreak of the corona virus has also led to the problem of waste management since studies have not really been carried out for if virus can be gotten through waste. Although these challenges could come from multiple sources such as the lack of 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 Bamenda City Council in matters of waste management.

Research questions

• What are the current solid waste management strategies and practices in Bamenda?
• What are the major challenges facing Municipal Solid Waste Management in Bamenda?
• Is the principle of ecological sustainability taken into considerations when managing waste in Bamenda?
• What is theperception of householdindividuals on the current solid waste management stretegies in Bamenda?
• How can solid waste management in Bamenda be improved?

1.3)            Objectives of the study

Main objective

The general objective of this research is to evaluate aspects of municipal solid waste management by municipal councils in Bamenda and the roles they play in the important areas of ecological sustainability.

The specific objectives are:

• To quantify and classify types of solid waste generated in Bamenda
• To determine the current solid waste management strategies and practices in Bamenda

To determine the perceptions of residents on the solid waste management strategies and practices in Bamenda