Douala: Stray animals reduce abandoned garbage

For some time now city dwellers in Cameroon’s economic capital, Douala have been battling with heaps of garbage abandoned in almost every neighbourhood within the city.

Many are tired of questioning what is transpiring between the Douala City Council authorities and the company in charge of waste collection and disposal, HYSACAM.

“Douala was not like this at first. Today everywhere is nasty, making breathing difficult. You can’t dress well and move freely because you have heaps of garbage to jump over. If Hysacam comes and collects the waste, expect them after a month or more. Let the Douala city council resolve whatever issue they have with Hysacam so that our city is kept clean. We are tired.” A city dweller told CNA.

While Hysacam is found nowhere collecting the heaps of trash, stray animals like the cow above help the population reduce the garbage by feeding on them.

“My brother, it’s really funny but serious. This tells you how chronic the situation has been in our city. Look, look.. a cow feeding on abandoned trash in the heart of the city. Well, if those in charge cannot help us, the animal is helping somehow.” Another city dweller explained in disappointment.

An environmentalist, Venland Tazoh Teke, said waste collection should be a collective responsibility.

“Collection and disposal have to start from the person producing the waste, the administrative bodies, notably the councils including Hysacam. Households are not left out. They must properly dispose of their domestic waste.” Teke explained.

Recycling waste according to the environmentalist is a better option to manage the tons of garbage produced in the city of Douala and others.

“We need a specialized company that will start from scratch. Building cans that will be labeled, biodegradable, nonbiodegradable, plastic papers, broken bottles, steels etc, and placed in every neighborhood. Then we collect them for useful purposes rather than going dump them where it will cause other environmental hazards”.

Despite every promise and action taken by the Mayor of the Douala city council to ensure garbage is frequently collected and disposed of, heaps still pill up for a week, leaving many city dwellers with the conviction that recycling is the best option.