Bamenda City Mayor, Achobong Tembeng Paul, has outlined a comprehensive and security-conscious strategy to address the long-standing challenges of garbage and waste management in the city. In the recent interview granted Laarry Times, he described the problem as one rooted largely in civic indiscipline compounded by years of socio-political unrest.
Speaking on the matter, the mayor noted that improper waste disposal has become normalized among sections of the population due to nearly a decade of socio-political challenges that disrupted normal civic life. “Many people are not yet fully aware that dumping garbage on the streets is an offense,” he said, stressing that years of instability led residents to take practices for granted.
According to Mayor Achobong, sustained public education is gradually yielding results. Through community meetings, media outreach on radio and television, and direct engagement with quarter heads, the city council has intensified efforts to sensitize residents on proper waste disposal. “With continuous dialogue and education, people are beginning to come to their senses,” he stated.
However, beyond civic disobedience, the mayor highlighted severe security challenges that have significantly hindered waste collection operations. Garbage collectors have frequently been targeted by armed groups, facing attacks at collection sites, kidnappings from their homes, and ransom demands.
In more extreme cases, explosive devices have reportedly been planted at garbage collection points and detonated remotely using mobile phones. “These have been very dangerous and unfavorable conditions for waste collection,” Mayor Achobong explained. He added that collaboration with the forces of law and order has helped to secure and reassess high-risk sites, allowing collection activities to resume more safely.
In response to these challenges, the Bamenda City Council has introduced a new door-to-door waste collection policy, which officially takes effect this year. The initiative has already begun in high-traffic areas such as Commercial Avenue and the Main Market, where street-side dumping has now been prohibited.
Under the new system, two waste collection trucks operate daily at 9:00 a.m one dedicated to biodegradable waste and the other to non-biodegradable materials. “If this system is respected, there will be no garbage along Commercial Avenue,” the mayor assured.
The door-to-door collection model has also been extended to residential areas including Old Town and Bamenda I, where collection vans move through neighborhoods to pick up waste directly from households. Residents are encouraged to use two separate containers for sorting waste at source a practice the city council has long advocated.
Sample containers were previously distributed to households to promote this culture of waste separation. “This demon of garbage in Bamenda can be contained if we all play our part,” Mayor Achobong emphasized.
In a forward-looking move, the city council has also invested in sustainability by constructing a plastic stretching and recycling machine at the council premises. The facility, currently under construction, has already enabled the collection of more than five tons of plastic waste.
Perhaps most notably, the council is considering introducing financial compensation for plastic waste brought to the city council. “We want people to understand that plastic is not just garbage it has value,” the mayor said.
Deliberations are underway to determine the rate to be paid per kilogram of plastic, a policy expected to incentivize recycling and reduce environmental pollution.
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