With the deployment of the garbage cans to households, the Kanifing municipality hopes to improve solid waste collection in the district. This will be part of the “one garbage can per household” operation, a component of the Kanifing Environmental Transformation Program (KETP) being implemented in The Gambia. The European Union (EU) is funding the activities, which were launched on October 14, 2022.
The €3 million grant will initially deploy 10,000 waste garbage cans in Kanifing communities, reaching 25% of the municipality’s 35,000 households and 500 businesses. In its second phase, the “one garbage can per household” initiative will distribute an additional 25,000 garbage cans at the household level. Commercial areas in Kanifing Municipality will also be equipped with devices for proper garbage disposal.
Towards a “Zero Waste” Municipality
By empowering households in Kanifing, the local authorities’ ambition is to improve solid waste collection in the municipality. This approach will help preserve the health of the population, as well as the environment through the reduction of methane emissions, which are partly responsible for global warming.
The EU funding of 3 million euros supports a loan of 185 million euros granted by the European institution in 2021 through the Global Climate Change Alliance plus (GCCA+). The KETP funds enabled the conversion of the Bakoteh landfill near the southern town of Serekunda into a waste transfer center. The facility already stores waste prior to sorting and recycling. As part of the KETP program, Kanifing City Council is working in partnership with Peterborough City Council (PCC) in the United Kingdom and the Opportunity Peterborough Economic Development Agency.
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To reduce pollution, Kanfing’s authorities are also focusing on turning waste into compost. Since July 2021, the Kanifing City Council has been implementing the “Building Climate Resilience through Sustainable Biodegradable Waste Management” project. A portion of the city’s organic waste will be used to make biomass briquettes. This fuel is used by households instead of wood for cooking.
Inès Magoum