Why Douala?
Douala is Cameroon's largest city with a population of about 3.5million. Because of its port, Douala is also economically the most important city for Cameroon. The Wouri River which runs through Douala is considered one of the most polluted rivers in Africa.
Waste management is one of the biggest challenges facing the city of Douala. About 75% of the population lives in areas not served or poorly served by waste collection services. This, and other factors, are the cause of a lot of plastic pollution that ends up in the ocean each year.
Waste problems
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Waste burning
Some parts of the city are too far away from official or non-official waste sites. The residents of these cityparts have to get rid of their waste by themselves. Therefore a lot of waste gets burned or burried. Overtime for many people this practice also becomes normalized.
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Waste dumping
Besides the burning of waste people often also dump their waste. Waste enters nature or ends up in the river via watercourses, which then carry the waste to the ocean. This results in dead animals and nature, blocked watercourses and polluted water.
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Insufficient official waste sites
There is an official waste management company that works for the goverment in Douala. Waste gets picked up at waste sites. The problem is that this only happens in busy or richer parts of the city. Furthermore is the capacity of the waste management company not big enough, not all waste sites get picked up in time. It leaves many waste sites overfull, disorganised and dirty.
Current solutions
Current bins from non-profits and recycling organisations are very similar in shape, materials and usability. In a lot of cases they are metal boxes with or without nets inside them. These nets are often used one single time before they get thrown away wich leaves an opportunity for a more durable solution. Also the amount of metal used for these ‘boxes’ is too much compared the volume of plastic waste these bins can contain. By reducing metal, a more cost-efficiënt solution can be created. Lastly, bins are often not really attractive, the metal frame doesn’t leave room for a lot of infographics. To nudge the user in using the bin, the design should be improved.
