The Tubah Council, once celebrated for its groundbreaking waste management initiatives, faces criticism as garbage continues to litter University Street, a stretch that leads to the University of Bamenda (UBa).
Residents and business owners are urging the Council to address the issue, which has tarnished the area’s cleanliness.
Poor waste management is an issue that continues to face Cameronian towns and cities, including neighboring Bamenda, the regional headquarters of the North West.
The challenge lies not only with collecting garbage and providing a safe path for sewage, but also with managing collected household waste.
The Tubah Council had previously transformed waste management in the Municipality by converting waste into pavement blocks for construction and manure for farming.
This initiative included recruiting children to collect plastics and sensitizing households to sort their waste, making Tubah a model for other Councils.
Neighboring Councils like Nkor and Nkambe have even sent staff to learn from Tubah’s methods.
“When you used to pass here, you knew you were in Tubah. The air changes because the place is clean,” said a resident, reflecting on the Council’s past success.
However, the university street remains a problem area. “The entire place is still clean but for the university street, which is always dirty because when we clean, sort, and keep, the council doesn’t come to clear it. So, when it rains, runoff water sweeps the garbage, littering the road,” explained a student.
To promote cleanliness, the Council instituted Thursdays as a cleanup day. “We always clean; it has become normal for us to not only clean our homes but our surroundings,” said a shopkeeper around the university street.
Despite these efforts, the university street continues to struggle with litter.
“When we clean and the council doesn’t clear the waste in time, the rains wash it into the streets,” said Mofo, a restaurant operator along the university street.
Residents are now pleading with the Council to take more active measures in maintaining the cleanliness of the Bamenda university street.
The persistent issue highlights a gap in the Council’s waste management system, which has otherwise been commendable.
