By Tata Mbunwe
The Buea Council, through Mayor David Mafani Namange, has rolled out a new waste management plan that aims to engage residents in waste management as garbage continues to pose a nuisance in the South West regional capital.
The plan, which includes acquiring and disbursing new trash cans across the city and employing citizens to collect garbage, was revealed during the Council’s midterm evaluation session on Wednesday, August 6.
The municipality’s strategy involves hiring youths to assist with waste collection, collaborating with truck owners for efficient disposal, and mandating that residential complexes be equipped with trash cans provided by landlords.
Buea residents will be restricted to placing trash outside only on designated dates and times to streamline the process.
This addresses the persistent issue of uncollected garbage clogging roads, gutters, and causing discomfort to city dwellers.
Currently, waste management in Buea is handled by Hysacam under a contract, but the company’s trucks have ceased entering neighborhoods since the onset of the Anglophone Crisis, leading to the proliferation of artificial dump sites and accumulated waste.
“Hysacam has not lived up to standard and we are living witnesses to the deteriorating state of our city,” the Mayor said.
“…we had an evaluation meeting and realized that they have not met up with their contractual terms. For instance they were supposed to change all the trucks and have 10 new trucks in Buea adapted to carrying different types of trash cans, that hasn’t been done. The number of trash cans haven’t come and you bear with me three weeks ago it was extremely dirty because of the wear and tear of their trucks, all of their trucks were down. None was working in the city of Buea.”
The new initiative received significant backing from Telcar Cocoa, a major cocoa exporting firm in Cameroon, which has pledged support under its “Telcar Cocoa Promise” framework.
Kate Kanyi-Tometi Fotso, CEO and founder of Telcar Cocoa Ltd, contributed 10 million CFA francs for the initiative.
The Prime Minister also offered the Municipality three tricycles. The South West Regional Assembly has offered a tricycle and promised three others, meanwhile the Council says it has acquired wheelbarrows, shovels and other tools to help citizens in cleaning the town.
An elite of Buea working with the UN has also donated 5 million CFA francs to support the initiative.
Mayor Namange said the council intends to engage truck drivers operating in Buea and encourage them to participate in waste management activities and grant them small incentives.
This collaborative approach aims to cultivate a culture of cleanliness and sustainability, positioning Buea as a model for effective waste management.
Mayor David Mafani Namange has pledged to award the best-performing neighborhoods and penalize those who fail to adhere to the new measures.
