According to experts, effective waste collection is vital for public health, environmental protection, and even economic development. In fact in most developed countries, waste is no longer a useless item, as they put in place measures to recycle waste into something useful. Isn’t this great?
In The Gambia, the issue is getting out of hand due to increasing urbanization, where many people are leaving rural settings for the urban centres. Though, this mass urbanization has both advantages and disadvantages. But the challenge it poses to urban centres is increasingly being felt across.
It is projected that by 2050, the volume of waste will triple from 174 million tonnes per year as of 2016 to approximately 516 million tonnes per year across the Africa continent.
The Gambia like most developing countries, the bulk of organic waste is being dumped in landfills. This also causes another environmental challenge as most landfills are situated within communities.
However, organic waste could provide significant socio-economic opportunities for communities.
The emergence of recycling plants is characterised by poverty, unemployment, and socio-economic needs driven by public and private sector design. For example, approximately 70–80% of the municipal solid waste generated in Africa is recyclable. Thus, it is just a matter of support to turn this heap of waste into something useful.
Also, it is high time institutions devise means of generating wealth from the waste they dispose. For instance, in some countries, recycling waste plants also help provide income to the people, while also contributing to a greener environment. In Africa, most countries are challenged by the complex problem of effectively addressing the epidemic of plastic waste, which has been worsened by various interconnected factors.
An important problem is the insufficient waste management infrastructure, which is basic in numerous areas, resulting in improper disposal techniques, including open burning and landfill dumping. These practices contribute to environmental contamination and pose health risks
It is interesting to note here that the global plastic convention held last year 2024 offered a chance for international cooperation and inventiveness, and had the potential to offer a legally enforceable structure to effectively tackle plastic pollution in all ecosystems.