Abstract
This research proposes for the introduction of a recycling system in the Gambia to enhance sustainable municipal solid waste management. Poor infrastructures, coupled with inadequate resources and lack of funding, work against the optimization of a MSW disposal service. In the authors’ view, authorities in charge of waste management need to change not only behaviors, but modernize their processes. Recycling technology is a key part of the solution. A model has been developed which suggest the involvement of stakeholders to achieve meaningful sustainable MSWM. This can be achieved by recognizing the role of the informal sector through community-based organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the private sector. The open dump approach is leading to severe environmental consequences as the groundwater and soil within the dump is been contaminated. In this study, an integrated municipal solid waste management approach was developed with a model to help achieve sustainable municipal solid waste management. Resource recovery, not waste disposal, must be the ultimate goal with clearly defined end user markets so that the recovery loop is complete. Mandatory sorting of waste at household level would help greatly in making recycling activity successful.
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1 Introduction
Banjul, Kanifing Municipality and part of Western Division together referred to as the greater Banjul area, shown on Fig. 1, forms the largest urban population. It represents over 40% of the total population of the Gambia. Solid waste for the City of Banjul is disposed at the Mile 2 dump site, while that of Kanifing and Brikama municipalities is disposed at Bakoteh and Tambana dump sites, respectively. In 2001, the government of the Gambia (GOTG) initiated a Solid Waste Management Study for the greater Banjul area and Brikama. The terms of reference included the development of waste management system and a comprehensive study on waste management. This study identified a new landfill site in Tambana. The Bakoteh Dump Site is the only official dump site serving the Kanifing Municipality. The generation of solid waste is estimated to be 219 tons/day (2002). In spite of the above initiatives, the condition at the Bakoteh Dump Site continues to create hygienic, environmental, as well as esthetic problems in and around the dump. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is the most complex solid waste stream, as opposed to the more homogeneous waste streams resulting from industrial or agricultural activities (Wang and Nie 2001). Once in the city, even a slight increase in income can cause consumption patterns of people to change (Medina 1997), resulting in waste types and quantities that pose a greater challenge to the municipalities to handle. The real problem, however, is the lack of or inadequate level of environmental management at city level. In the last decades, the economic and social development of Gambia did not take into account the protection of the environment.
In 2002, a feasibility study, Support for the Bakoteh Dump Site Waste Management Study, was carried out for the effective management of the site. The study was completed in October 2002. While disqualifying the site as a landfill, the study identified the storage capacity of the dump site for a period of 3–5 years. The site is an old quarry surrounded by human settlements, occupying an area of about 17.8 hectares.
According to the 2005 revision of world urbanization prospects (UN 2006), half or more of the African population is expected to live in cities by 2030. An estimated two-thirds of the world’s people will be living in cities by 2025. In fact, urban populations in developing countries grow by more than 150,000 people every day (UNDESA 2005). Although urbanization itself is not necessarily a problem, haphazard and unplanned growth can result in many environmental problems such as public space and riverbank encroachment, air and water pollution, and solid waste generation (UNEP 2001a). Eradicating poverty and reaching desirable levels of economic and industrial development seem to conflict with environmental considerations. Economic development contributes to improvements in living standards. However, it also induces environmental degradation with long-term economic, social, and environmental consequences.
1.1 Composition of MSW in GBA
MSW is a heterogeneous mixture of products with very different physicochemical properties. Its composition is variable and depends on the nature of the products, customs of the population, the relative quality of life, and the type of city. Knowledge of MSW composition is essential for the determination of waste management options such as recycling. Six major categories of waste were identified within the greater Banjul area and are shown on Table 1: Organic matter, paper, cardboard, wood, rubber, glass, metals, and textiles.
Previous studies have established a waste generation rate of 0.54 kg/person/day in the Kanifing Municipality (Solid Waste Management Study for GBA and Brikama-waste survey report, April 2000). This value was used in the BDSWMS—2002 report to calculate the solid waste generated in Kanifing Municipality. No drastic economic changes have taken place to invalidate this value; hence, the same is used for solid waste generation projection. Table 2 shows the volume of waste generated within the study area.
2 Problem statement
The Cleansing Services Unit of the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) was set up in 1984 with assistance from the World Bank Urban Management Development Project (UMDP 1984). The waste collection system being used in the Gambia is not regular, does not separate waste, and there are not enough vehicles to cover a large area. As a result, there is indiscriminate disposal of waste within neighborhoods and commercial areas. Burning of waste contributes to air pollution. Indiscriminate dumping of solid waste has a high negative impact on environmental quality. Uncollected garbage also has a potential effect on public health as it promotes the reproduction of vectors of diseases such as cockroaches, rats, flies, and mosquitoes. Open dumping as practiced at the Bakoteh Dump Site poses a risk from a sanitary point of view in that it can directly affect the operators at the site, scavengers, and residents living around the site. The lack of civil society involvement in the management of municipal solid waste is a major problem. Currently, there are no waste treatment technologies being used creating an unhygienic condition.
Many households either bury or burn their garbage in their compounds or dump it at an adjacent unauthorized dump site or even on the street. The Kanifing Municipal Council does not operate any meaningful garbage collection services covering the areas in the immediate surroundings of the dump site. Garbage placed on the fringes of the site invariably aggravates the negative visual impact.
A site investigation on the location of Bakoteh Dump Site found that it does not fulfill the standards required for locating a landfill. Despite the failure of the dump site to meet both local- and international-sitting criteria, it is not feasible to close the site because a suitable alternative is yet to be developed.
2.1 Impact of non-collection of waste in Gambia
2.1.1 Visual impacts
The dump site is located in an area which is densely populated and is visible to residents, passers-by, and motorists. It is on the highway leading to the Tourism Development Area. Bakoteh Dump Site has a negative visible impact on residents and tourists visiting the Gambia. A major source of negative visual impact is the smoke from burning debris. At times, smoke covers parts of the residential areas and the main road linking Serrekunda to the Tourism Development Area. Such fires start due to the immense release of methane, which results from poor sorting of waste.
2.1.2 Impact on air quality
At present, easy and uncontrolled access makes the Bakoteh Dump Site amenable to uncontrolled dumping and indiscriminate burning of waste. The waste is neither covered nor compacted. Due to its proximity to residential areas, residents and passers-by are affected by the smoke from burning debris and the stench of decomposing waste carried down wind. Under the existing conditions, open burning of unsorted waste is common during the dry season. The stench and other nuisances are worst during the rainy period as the area becomes infested with flies and insects.
2.1.3 Impact on surface water
South of the dump site adjacent to the Bakoteh Filling Station runs the Kotu Stream, and this opens up into the Atlantic Ocean. Run off from the dump site with contaminants dissolved or suspended in the water enter the stream. Table 3 shows the results of a study conducted by Nzainga (2002), illustrating the contamination level of the natural pond around the dump site. This indicates that water from the natural pond is beyond the acceptable pollution level set in The Gambia Environmental Quality monitoring and Enforcement Report, 1997.
2.1.4 Impact on groundwater quality
Open dump sites are a major source of leachate, which contaminates soil and groundwater. Leachate typically contains concentration of organic carbons, ammonia, chloride, potassium, and hydrogen carbonate. Once released into the soil, it can get to the groundwater. The groundwater table at the refuse dump is less than 2 m. There is high level of fecal and total Coliform contamination in some wells located near the site, as indicated in Table 3. The high level of bacteriological contamination means that the water should not be used for washing utensils or bathing. There is very high indication that the presence of the waste disposal facility impacts the quality of water found in some of the wells within the vicinity.
The risk of pollution is even higher when over 40% of compounds have open wells. Most households living around the dump site use water from wells to bath, wash dishes, clothes, and a slightly lower percentage use the wells for cooking purposes. Water samples collected from the shallow wells at approximately 10, 50, and 100 m from the periphery of the dump site show a high level of fecal and total Coliform. Fifty-eight percent of the samples had fecal Coliform counts >100, and 93% had total Coliform counts >100 per 100 ml. The high Coliform count in the wells is attributed to their proximity to the dump site.
3 Waste collection system in GBA
Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) encompasses the functions of collection, transfer, resource recovery, recycling, and treatment. The primary target of MSWM is to protect the health of the population, promote environmental quality, sustainability, and provide support to economic productivity. To meet these goals, sustainable solid waste management systems must be embraced fully by local authorities in collaboration with both the public and the private sectors. Although the quantity of solid waste generated in urban areas of developing countries is low compared with industrialized countries, MSWM still remains inadequate. The collection, transportation, and disposal of MSW in the Gambia are unscientific and chaotic, left entirely under the care of municipalities. Uncontrolled dumping of wastes on outskirts of towns and cities has serious environmental implications in terms of groundwater pollution and soil contamination. Burning of waste leads to air pollution in terms of increased TSP and PM10 emissions, which is equivalent to vehicular emissions at times. For instance, it was estimated that between 30 and 50% of the municipal solid waste generated in developing countries is usually left unattended on the streets or vacant land plots (UNEP 2003).
The Kanifing Municipal Council cleansing service unit is responsible for solid waste management in the municipality i.e., the collection, transportation, and disposal. It provides a daily refuse collection service. The system of collection is both door-to-door and station type where skips and trailers are placed in strategic locations for communal collection. For ease of management, the municipality is divided into six collection zones, which are further sub-divided into blocks. Refuse collection is divided into two shifts, morning (8:00 a.m–3:30 p.m.) and afternoon (4:00 p.m–12:00 midnight). The schedule for waste collection is shown in Table 4.
One of the aims of solid waste disposal is to remove waste within the community, reduce its volume, making it stable and hygienic. In choosing the process of proper treatment and disposal, the economic cost and the level of technology within the organization responsible for solid waste management should be considered.
The Bakoteh Dump Site is on the site of an old quarry and occupies an area of about 17.8 hectares. Garbage is dumped along the edge of the site, with a pungent smell engulfing the site and its environs. Burning and smoldering garbage is a regular feature on the site. There is no compaction of waste or application of cover material. Indeed, there is no equipment on site, and the dumping of waste is uncontrolled. With the steady increase in population and demand for land, the dump site is now at the center of human settlement.
4 Introduction of a recycling plant
The prevailing method of open dumping is a major source of environmental pollution. Moreover, it has become increasingly difficult to identify new sites for disposal due to cost of land and lack of appropriate land area. The operational efficiency of solid waste management depends on the active participation of the municipal agency and of citizens. Since the social status of solid waste management is low, there is apathy toward it. Symptoms of this fact include uncollected waste in many areas and the deterioration of esthetic and environmental quality at the uncontrolled disposal sites. According to estimates from the World Resources Institute and USAID, many local authorities in developing countries spend over 30% of their budgets on refuse collection and disposal but can only collect at most 50–70% MSW (Matrix, 1993). Most do not meet environmentally safe MSW disposal levels because of a lack of sanitary landfills.
Waste management and disposal is a pressing issue facing developing countries like the Gambia, since about 90% of waste is currently disposed by open dumping. Some commonly used methods of waste management are as follows: incineration, land filling, and composting. However, these methods are inefficient and harm the environment. This paper argues that the solution to waste management is not merely technical, but also organizational. There is a great need to move away from the disposal-centric approach toward the recovery-centric approach of waste management. This paradigm shift requires some level of public participation by regulating and monitoring waste collection and disposal. In a world of limited resources, recovery is fundamental to sustainable development. A recovery-centric approach to municipal solid waste management cannot be functional, however, without active citizen participation and proper implementation of regulations. Globally, there is a drive for sustainability and efforts to reduce material consumption. Accordingly, 3R initiatives have been introduced to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle waste materials, thereby reducing the final volume of waste that enters landfill sites (MoE Japan 2006). Affluent countries provide substantial financial and regulatory resources for recycling waste fractions such as glass, metals, paper, and plastics. By contrast, in developing economies, recyclable fractions can often be sold for profit, and recycling is an economic activity for certain sectors of society.
It has been argued that the effectiveness of solid waste management in a city is one of the indices for assessing good governance (Whiteman et al. 2001). The focuses of the millennium development goals are on poverty reduction, improvement of quality of life, and environmental sustainability. This paper observes that the recycling of MSW in the Gambia possesses acknowledged development potential. Although there are not any recycling plant in the country, people are aware of the potential for buyers of recyclable materials such as steel, batteries, and plastics come to buy them from neighboring Senegal. The paper calls for official recognition and support of alternative waste management, resource recovery, and recycling for socioeconomic development. Cooperation with and support of the informal recycling sector could lead to increasing levels of resource recovery, more secure livelihoods for the informal waste workers, and a reduction in the amount of waste requiring disposal (Baud and Post-2003).
A major focus of the millennium development goals (MDGs) is on poverty reduction, while in most countries of the world, waste strategies aim at increasing recycling rates (Hasan et al. 2005; Wilson et al. 2006). It has been noted in some countries of the world that the contribution of the informal recycling sector toward attainment of these goals could be significant (Coad 2006; Medina 2006). If not given policy and practical support, the activities could also retard achievement of the MDGs related to sanitation, malaria, and other diseases.
The solid waste management scenario should be shifted toward a more sustainable approach. This paper brings into focus waste management by recycling, which can be adopted in order to achieve economic viability and explores the sustainable options that conserve both natural and man-made resources and averts ecological risk. Attempts have been made to clear wastes by door-to-door collection using dumper trucks. However, this is proving unsustainable, for the trucks are expensive to buy. The KMC responsible for waste collection and disposal cannot afford the resources. Integrated waste management system is proposed as an option, which includes collection, transport, and processing of wastes in an environmentally sound way. At the core of the problem of solid waste management is the absence of adequate policies, enabling legislation, and an environmentally stimulated and enlightened public. Government policies on the environment are piecemeal where they exist and are poorly implemented. Public enlightenment programs lack the needed coverage, intensity, and continuity to correct the apathetic public attitude toward the environment. Successful solid waste management will require a holistic program that will integrate all the technical, economic, social, cultural, and psychological factors that are often ignored in solid waste programs.
In recent years, a significant increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) has been noted in the Gambia, yet there is no fully efficient system for its treatment. Attempts should be made to educate and mobilize society to segregate recyclables to produce satisfactory results. Society’s awareness in this field needs to be raised. The inadequate information on quantification and characterization of waste; health, social, economic, and environmental impact of municipal solid waste management is a common occurrence in Gambia. The waste management system so far in Gambia has not properly integrated other solutions like collection, treatment, supply for reuse, reprocessing, and final disposal. The system has also not delivered the optimum economic and environmental result for now and has not provided enough room to adapt to future pressures. The rapid increase in volumes of unattended solid wastes with the associated risk to human health is a source of concern. There is also a steady increase in the cost and logistical difficulties of municipal solid waste management. This has put increasing pressures on the infrastructure and authorities responsible for the management of solid waste. Landfill or dump spaces are diminishing, and there is difficulty in finding suitable locations. It is, therefore, prudent to look for and implement long-term integrated waste management strategies like recycling plants that ensure a sustainable approach for waste management services.
Many developing country cities aspire to modern waste management systems, which are associated with relatively high recycling rates of clean, source-separated materials. Most already have informal sector recycling systems, which are driven solely by the revenues derived from selling recovered materials. There is clear potential for ‘win–win’ cooperation between the formal and the informal sectors. Providing support to the informal sector, to build recycling rates and to address some of the social issues could reduce the overall costs of waste management for the formal sector.
The presence of waste materials with positive value represents a potential source of livelihood for the urban poor. This was true for medieval cities and for rapidly industrializing cities of Europe and North America in the 19th century. It also applies to the developing countries today (Wilson 2007). It has been estimated that as much as 2% of the urban population in Asia and Latin America depend on waste picking for all or part of their livelihood (Medina 2000).
5 The crucial factor for a successful recycling of MSW—stakeholder involvement
Developed countries typically utilize curbside recycling programs to collect and sort wastes for recycling processing. Conversely, developing countries can utilize the social sector known as scavengers to handle such activities. Scavengers are citizens with low to no income that collect materials either dispersed throughout the city or concentrated at dump sites. These materials are then sold to recycling shops, middlemen, or exporters. However, Medina (2004) proposes that ‘‘when scavenging is supported—ending that exploitation and discrimination—it represents a perfect illustration of sustainable development that can be achieved in the Third World. Jobs are created, poverty is reduced, raw material costs for industry are lowered (while improving competitiveness), “resources are conserved, pollution is reduced, and the environment is protected.” Such a system-wide perception has the potential to make significant improvements in the MSWM of developing countries.
While identifying each of the stakeholders that influence recycling in developing countries, their involvement and collaboration, improves the various aspects of MSWM. This study identifies collaboration as a catalyst to heighten household awareness of recycling, improve waste handling and disposal operations including characterization and segregation (Buenrostro and Bocco 2003), strengthen law enforcement (World Bank 2003a), utilize scavengers as a legitimate agent of MSWM, recommend inclusive policy initiatives (UNEP 2002), create integrated, sustainable MSWM plans (UNEP 2001b), and reduce expenses through cost sharing of facilities and equipment between agencies (World Bank 2001). Thus, this research recognizes stakeholder involvement as an overarching theme essential to sustainable management of municipal solid waste.
The collaboration web shown in Fig. 2 was designed as a result of the reoccurring stakeholder theme highlighted. The functionality of the relationships or institutional collaboration greatly influences the success of sustainable MSWM. In Fig. 2, a solid line represents a relationship between institutions necessary for a given factor to contribute to sustainable recycling, whereas a dashed line implies heightened influence on sustainable recycling by a given factor upon institutional interaction. In other words, institutional collaborations shown by solid lines are critical for more sustainable MSWM through recycling, and relationships shown by dashed lines further sustainable MSWM through recycling but are not critical to its presence. Collaboration, in general, demands active participation by all parties working toward a common goal. In this case, the common goal would be striving for more sustainable MSWM through material recovery. In order to fulfill the goals of waste collection and segregation, residents need to be educated on how to separate waste properly. Laborers and equipment are needed for collection and processing of waste. The government needs to manage the finances associated with such operations, and MSWM administrators need to have a plan in place from which to gain direction of activities. Educating the MSWM laborers and managers and understanding the characteristics of the waste stream will promote efficiency. Government policy provides the regulations needed to formulate the MSWM plan. Sustainability requires de-compartmentalization to better understand the impacts of a given action in pursuit of one goal. This figure illustrates how certain MSWM activities typically thought of as pertaining to one dimension (e.g., local recycled material market as economic) have been thrust into being multidimensional due to the necessary and beneficial interactions with other activities in order to achieve its goal.
Also intending to have broader applicability to most developing countries, it included action items pertaining to the following topics: social factors and education, waste characterization, collection, household and personnel education, resource recovery, laws and regulations, financial resources, and other issues. This study raises attention to key topics within MSWM in developing countries especially those in sub-Saharan Africa. The disease burden, public health and sanitary conditions of cities in these countries, requires consideration to be made on material recovery especially in the drive to achieve the millennium development goals. Thus, this research recognizes stakeholder involvement as an overarching theme essential to each of the factors.
6 Proposed sustainable waste management model for Gambia
To meet the goals of sustainable society and to respond to a growing concern over the environmental impacts of MSW, an integrated solid waste management approach should be adopted. Recycling of materials can not only lessen environmental burdens, lower the costs of waste disposal, and reduce dependence on resources; it can also create job opportunities and increase our GDP. The recycling system should integrate to the effect that communities, local garbage collection teams, scrap dealers will all work together to carry out recycling activities. Much effort should be devoted to formulate regulations and programs for waste reduction and resource recycling.
An unreliable and irregular collection service still exists. This means that there are shortcomings in the existing SWM system that needs correction. To effectively manage MSW in the Gambia, proper and feasible collection mechanisms should be available to have a lasting solution. Dumper trucks are expensive for municipal councils in developing nations to buy and maintain, thus we propose the use of motorbikes with trailers. Motorbikes are cheaper and easier to maintain, while the trailers can be made locally. Introduction of motorbikes with trailers, along with separation of waste and the establishment of a recycling plant would help to find a solution to the waste management problem in the Gambia. With improper urban planning, some of the streets are narrow and inaccessible, it is hoped that with motorbikes and trailers, the entire municipality can be accessed. Figure 3 is a scheme developed to enhance the collection and transportation of recyclable waste. Changes in the working environment for the waste pickers will be instrumental in providing a livable wage. Therefore, the scavengers at dump sites should be incorporated in the approach to manage waste through recycling in the Gambia. This paper is an attempt find ways to improve the existing system.
The construction of transfer stations and the positioning of garbage trailers within the communities are suggested as a solution to reduce distances between households and collection point, thus improving waste collection accessibility. Transfer stations and garbage trailers would enable the waste collection company to expand its range of services and significantly improve waste collection rates.
Developing sound resource management strategies as well as creating better policy frameworks on recycling can further aid in encouraging recycling, thereby bolstering the growth of the solid waste recycling market in the Gambia. We are selling a model which can help other countries with similar situation like the Gambia to properly manage their garbages to enhance a healthy populace. Source reduction, reuse, and recycling are the most preferred methods, followed by composting, incineration, and landfills. Municipalities should see to it that private participation is made attractive. Awareness campaigns should also be conducted so that the burden of the corporation for proper segregation of waste would be lessened. The waste management system will be shifted from end-of-pipe control and open dumping to source management. This approach will help decrease the use of raw materials and effectively recycle resources. Figure 4 shows the procedure that would be adapted for sustainable MSWM in the Gambia.
6.1 Introducing a waste collection system
Collection of unseparated solid waste in an urban area is difficult and complex because the generation of residential and commercial solid waste takes place in every home, commercial, and industrial facility as well as in the streets, parks, and vacant areas. As the patterns of waste generation become more diffuse and the total quantity of waste increases, the logistics of collection become more complex. Although these problems have always existed to some degree, they have now become more critical because of the high costs of fuel and labor. Waste collection should include not only the gathering or picking up of waste from the various sources but also the hauling of these wastes to the location where the contents of the collection vehicle are emptied. However, proper management cannot be achieved without a well-designed waste management plan. According to (Rossel and Jorge 1999), waste management planning strategies should advocate avoiding waste generation, using cleaner technology, promoting waste recycling and recovery, using suitable treatment for generated waste and adequate final waste disposal.
The lack of collection of waste is attributed to the lack of collection vehicles, which are expensive to buy and maintain. This recommends the use of motorbikes with trailer (locally made) for garbage collection from households and businesses, focusing on recycling. The unplanned nature of some urban settlements in the Gambia makes it very difficult for dumper trucks to access homes/households to collect waste. As a developing country, it might also be difficult for the municipal authorities to purchase dumper trucks to serve the whole area. It is believed that with this collection system, environmental and sanitary conditions would be improved. The health of the inhabitants will be improved in relation to common sanitary-related diseases within this locality, such as malaria, dysentery, diarrhea, skin diseases, etc.
6.2 Resource recycling
As landfill sites fill up, the real alternative to incineration is recycling. In both developing and developed countries, recycling generates more jobs, less pollution, and is more sustainable than incineration. The production and disposal of large amount of waste is seen by many to represent squandering the earth’s resources. Relating this to the “Limits to Growth” concept, raw materials are being used at a faster rate than they are being replaced or alternatives being found. While all methods for treating and disposing waste are known to have environmental impacts, waste must still be dealt with. Therefore, recovering materials from MSW would help in conserving both environment and resources.
6.3 Mandatory waste sorting
The manual sorting of solid waste components can be accomplished at the source where solid waste is generated at a transfer station, at a centralized processing station, or at the disposal site. The sorting of wastes creates raw materials, which are used in the production of new products, and thus, the exploitation of virgin raw materials is reduced. This also results in the lowering of the amount of waste, which ends up at landfills. The sorting of hazardous waste prevents toxic and explosively fragile substances from descending into landfills. Sorting waste is also economically viable.
6.4 Upgrading waste management system
The author is of the opinion that MSW management is not just a technological system facilitating the handling and disposal of MSW. MSW management deals with many other factors such as socioeconomic conditions, operating environment, and actions of the municipal government. In the previous section, a number of issues were discussed with respect to sustainable MSWM. Vulnerability of pollution of surface and groundwater is high because local authorities rarely considered environmental impact in establishing MSW disposal sites. Illegal dumping of MSW on the river banks or on the roadside poses environmental and economic threats.
MSWM is meant for the public, and, without the public’s cooperation, the system cannot be operated or maintained appropriately. Hence, it is necessary to make the public aware of MSWM through active participation in the system. In practice, system efficiency is directly proportional to the number of participating citizens. Without public participation, it may be difficult to maintain cleanliness in a city, and resource recovery systems may become less effective if wastes are poorly separated at the source. With the proper education and campaign programs, recycling could be started in the country. The approach’s main strategic objectives should include the following:
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Create a marketing program for recyclable materials.
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Encourage economic growth related to recycling.
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Enhance feasible policies for converting recycled materials into commercial products.
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Provide technical assistance and training for individuals engaged in recycling.
7 Conclusion
Current waste management practices are unable to keep pace with the waste generation rate. Suggestions/proposals have been made to clear wastes by door-to-door collection method, using motorbikes with trailers, which will separate recyclable from non-recyclable wastes. There is lack of complementary action from different stakeholders in waste management, thus is left to the municipal council. Added to this are the constraints that are faced by the authorities, such as poor political back up, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient funds, and lack of public support. It is important that resources for running the waste management program are properly harnessed. Financial resources, legal institutional framework, and human resources are the fundamental components on which the waste management can be run. The success of a recycling program depends on the active and sustained participation of citizens in the correct separation and collection of recyclable waste.
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Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank the National Environmental Agency of the Gambia for their collaboration. Most specially would also like to thank the government of the Gambia for giving him the opportunity to pursue his studies.
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Sanneh, E.S., Hu, A.H., Chang, Y.M. et al. Introduction of a recycling system for sustainable municipal solid waste management: a case study on the greater Banjul area of the Gambia. Environ Dev Sustain 13, 1065–1080 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-011-9305-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-011-9305-9