The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is to support the Yobe State Government to expand doorstep waste collection in Damaturu by equipping informal waste collectors with electric tricycles.
The intervention, which is aimed at improving sanitation and supporting the livelihoods of waste collectors, was announced at a stakeholder workshop on waste management in Damaturu.
It is being implemented under the Yobe Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons and Host Communities (SOLID) Project.
Speaking at the workshop, Ismail Bunkar of UNDP said the initiative was part of Activity 4.2 of the Japan-funded project, Accelerating Recovery of Affected Communities from Security and Humanitarian Crises in Northeast.
Bunkar said informal waste collectors currently using pushcarts would be provided with electric collection tricycles under an earned-ownership arrangement to make their work more efficient.
He said the intervention would be backed by public awareness and behaviour-change campaigns to encourage residents to adopt proper waste disposal practices.
According to him, the project was designed not only to improve waste collection but also to strengthen the livelihoods of informal collectors by giving them better equipment.
Declaring the workshop open, the Secretary to the Yobe State Government, Dr Mohammed Goje, stressed the importance of effective waste management to public health, environmental sanitation and the wellbeing of residents.
The workshop brought together government officials, development partners, waste management stakeholders, traditional and religious leaders and other key actors to examine the existing system and consider ways of improving waste collection and disposal in the state capital.
A key presentation at the meeting was the assessment of the Enhanced Integrated Waste Management System in Damaturu by the SOLID Project Coordinator, Alhaji Suleiman Dauda.
The assessment provided an evidence-based picture of waste management in the state capital and is expected to guide the identification of areas requiring intervention.
The proposed shift from pushcarts to electric tricycles is expected to make waste collection more efficient while giving informal collectors better means of earning a living and helping to improve sanitation in Damaturu.
