Touba , the second urban area in Senegal and selected city in the wastewater, plastic waste and electric eletronic waste management project funded by the government of Grand-Duche of Luxemburg hosted the ceremony for lauchning the household waste sorting. As a side of the world environmntal day, GGGI in collaboration with his implementing partner for this project UCG worked to define a clear methodology to develop the waste sorting initiave. The program started with a household cross section studied under a diagnostic realized by our partner EVE which are developping the communication and behavior change campain. The process triggered with a recuitment of community relays that have been trained on communication technics and on the knowledge package related to the waste sorting specially plastic waste. Our implementing partner UCG led the waste bins distribution for selected households for the experimentation program.
The launching day was organized in the Darou Minam pilot district. It commenced with a households visit to observe the waste sorting activity and to gather ideas from the outbreak. From a home another one the initiave is now taking shape and will require to develop a strong monitoring plan driven by the local authorities with a specific focus on promote and prevent good habits to waste management. They announced a local development committee meeting need to be held in order to validate the monitoring and evaluation plan for this one year experimentatin program.
Following the visit from households, delegation composed by Minister Consellor and President of the environment commission for the municipality, the chief of Darou Minam village, the deputy mayor of Touba, National Coordinator of UCG, and GGGI Senegal Country Representative joined the launching ceremony hosted in the Darou Minam District.
Project Coordinator for the project spoken about progress noted during the Luxemburg funded project execution in Touba by a way of introducing the ceremony. The Chief of Village of Darou Minam adressed a welcome remark as a host district for the day and for the experimentation program. ” It is so important for this district to overcome this challenging initiative. as it could be easily replicated to the scale of a whole city” ; ” Darou Minam are definitely ambassadors of waste sorting in Senegal and it is essential to appopriate this pratice that are a vector for change for a healthy sustainable and safety environment”. The chief of village is a local lead on the communication and behavior change program, he is acting as member in the communication sub- comittee. Senegal Country Representative opened his remarks with thanks their commitment on behalf of GGGI team. ” Our strength is our capability to act together significantly as it will results to a behavior change” So our action should be permanent and to keep the momentum to demonstrate the waste sorting effectiveness and sustainability”
The program is designed by UCG through its mandate on the waste management in Senegal and jointly defined on the approach with our plastic waste team . As a part of solid waste management in urban areas program, the GGGI plastic waste component in Touba offer a solution in the 11 000 tons of plastic waste produced every year. National coordinator to mentionned this innovative technology as key driver to an attractive business model ” promoting waste sorting, collecting and valorizing plastic waste should allow us to create an attractive environment for a private sector to produced most use products made by plastic materials. Following the Senegal rising plan, our unity are working to moernize the waste management across several infrastructures that are existing to ensure an added value on the ecosystem”
The minsiter consellor, deputy mayor , president of the environment commission chairperson of the ceremony delivered the message for the world environmental day under the theme of waste sorting in Darou Minam district. ” I’m very satisfied about the work our development partner GGGI. Households that we visited are willing to manage waste as indicated, it appears clearly from their voices the importance of good pratices regarding the waste management on our homes. GGGI intervention in Touba is in the line with the Senegal rising plan in PSE vert component”.