IWWA

INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT IN WESTERN AFRICA

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Most of African countries are struggling towards development and improving their living conditions. An appropriate waste management structure at a national and regional level is a milestone that must be achieved in order to improve living standards, health and environment. The situation in many countries is that the obvious lack of a functional waste management system brings perennial garbage problems such as inefficient garbage collection, poor public compliance to waste segregation, uncontrolled open burning, and tolerated presence of open dumpsites. Furthermore valuable resources are lost due to inefficient or non-existing recycling systems. The establishment of an efficient waste management and recycling system contributes to enhancing the resource efficiency of these countries and thus supports a sustainable development in the long-term. The present Coordination Action will seek the establishment of Integrated Solid Waste Management systems (ISWM) in Western Africa. ISWM systems combine waste streams, waste collection, treatment and disposal methods, with the objective of achieving environmental benefits, economic optimization and societal acceptability. For the achievement of the project objectives, a solid waste management expert and research co-ordination platform will analyze the current situation in the targeted countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Ivory Coast), identifying main gaps and constraints of any type (technological, sociological, organisational, etc.) and selecting suitable management systems. According to the results obtained, including inputs from authorities and policy makers in participatory workshops, the consortium will provide valuable guidelines and recommendations to be used in the future implementation of developed strategies such as National and Regional Action Plans on solid waste management. The project will also build local capacities through workshops and seminars where relevant stakeholders must be involved.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Reducing waste generation is a key step to preventing pollution and environmental degradation. A recent EU-funded project looked at how various stakeholders could contribute to sustainable solid-waste management (SWM) in western Africa.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Living conditions in most African countries are poor. One of the contributors to this is the lack of appropriate waste management structures at national and regional levels. This leads to an accumulation of waste, which results in, among other things, uncontrolled burning, open dumpsites and loss of valuable resources due to inefficient recycling.

The 'Integrated waste management in western Africa' (IWWA) project aimed at addressing this issue by bringing together various authorities to aid in selecting and promoting appropriate waste management systems. The project focused on four countries: Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Senegal.

Project partners identified possible policies, technology options and systems based on the regional situation and needs of the targeted countries. They also developed guidelines for the selection and implementation of the relevant systems and assessed the potential influence these systems could have on waste sectors.

Project successes were possible through the participation of a number of stakeholders, both local and international. Best practices related to waste management were identified in European and non-European countries and there was a sharing of knowledge and expertise among the stakeholders.

IWWA has allowed for the strengthening of formal and informal networks on waste management in the four target countries. Stakeholders have improved their understanding of waste management and treatment technologies so that they can now implement the proposed measures to positively influence SWM.