The town of Dschang in western Cameroon has 220,000 inhabitants.
Like most major African cities, it currently faces a significant household waste management problem. A waste collection service is in place, but it currently only manages to collect and dispose of around a third of the total waste produced.
Studies have shown that 90% of the 50 tonnes of waste produced daily is biodegradable. As a result, the anaerobic fermentation of waste at disposal sites is now a major source of methane emissions, a greenhouse gas 21 times more harmful than CO2.
The project set up by the association Environnement Recherche Action au Cameroun (ERA-Cameroun) aims to:
– Reduce the total amount of household waste sent to landfill, thereby improving living conditions for the population and the long-term functioning of the landfill site,
– Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste fermentation,
– Improve soil quality in the areas surrounding the town and increase agricultural yields in the commune,
– Replicate this pilot project and its activities in new areas of the commune.
