January 6, 2021
By Francis F.M.Harding
The two principal solid waste dumping sites here referred to as ‘bomeh’ are located at Kissy road and Kingtom. Managing these dump sites remain an uphill task for successive governments.
Scavenging the dump site is one of the issues that has become disturbing for the Police. The effort has been an exercise in futility to drive the scavengers from the mounting bile of garbage.
Sierra Leone, in socio-economic context is potentially a rich country when one considers her natural resources. But it is sad to note that this wealth is not reflective in the lives of many citizens living below the poverty line.
Hence Sierra Leone is not only among the least poor nations in the world, but is also faced with poverty indicators such as malnutrition, inadequate healthcare facility, among other basic social amenities.
Where unemployment is also very high, it is less surprising that many citizens have contrived to create a means of survival by mining the garbage dump sites to eke out a living.
The problem could not be peculiar to Sierra Leone. It has been suggested by research that an estimated 15 million people in the developing world today survive by sorting out recyclables from dump sites. The actors in the scavenging cut across ages and gender, young and old, men and women.
A-Z Multi Media Corporation Press visited the dumping site at Kingtom, located at central Freetown. We discovered many destitutes out there in rag tag clothing, dexterously digging through the rubble of piled dirt with bare fingers. They know what they are looking for-plastics, metal objects, this and that, if you like. This is a daily routine.
The waste pickers survive by salvaging reusable or recyclable materials from the dumpsite and selling these items in order to earn small money.
Aminata Marah, 9 lives with her aunty Susan Kamara in the Kingtom dumping site. Aminata’s mother was unable to care for her, so her aunt has become the foster parent from a tender age.
Susan was unemployed and unable to provide food for Aminata and her children. Aminata was not attending school because her aunt Susan could not afford the high cost of schooling. Now, they are thankful that there is a Free Quality Education regime introduced by the government of President Julius Maada Bio.
They confessed to A-Z media that they have been dependent on picking items in the Kingtom dumpsite to sell at the market or to recycling companies. Sometimes they resort to street begging just to have something to eat.
We also gleaned the account of another lady, Elizabeth Manner. She admitted living in the neighborhood of the Kingtom dumpsite. She has five children. For a very long time, she has struggled to feed her children and find a reasonably safer place to live.
After she took to scavenging, the burden of feeding her household has been mitigated. She is now able to use her earning to find a relatively safer living condition.
Mohamed Kuyateh, a Dump Site Assistant said that they are getting little support from Freetown City Council. His status is unlike others not getting anything from the government- local or central government.
It was interesting to discover that that these dump site hustlers are not ignoring the COVID 19 regulations as it relates to using face masks and washing their hands. The said the sanitary items were provided by Faith Healing Bible Church last year 2020.
He said their concern is government should come in to salvage their problem especially the destitute that are wholly and solely dependent on garbage collection.
Salamatu one of the destitute at Kingtom dumping site said that she lost her husband five years ago and he left five children with her. She said they have been living like ‘magicians,’ noting that after God is the garbage collection.
She lamented the fact that the COVID-19 outbreak has reduced the income generating capacity from garbage collection.
“The Chinese people who were coming to buy have stopped but we are thankful to pastor Mambu who came with rice and other cooking items for us…”
Another destitute said she is a single mother who has two children. In the morning the kids join her to the dump to fetch items for sale. Madam Marie said she has been at the site for fifteen years. She is quite happy living nearby the dumping site without any worries about house rent and other bills.
Also, 10-year-old Bintu scavenges for pieces of plastic on the Kingtom rubbish dump site. According to her: “It is a very dirty living condition; the malodourous stench from the dump site can be very overpowering to cope with…”
She acknowledges the fact that the way of life exposes them to diseases and bacterial infections.
“I am always afraid of cutting my fingers with broken bottles and metals such as injection needles. We don’t even earn much,” she said morosely.
Environmental Experts have warned that the Kingtom dumping is posing health risk to the wider community in especially groundwater contamination caused by uncontrolled dumping of both toxic and non-toxic refuse, and faecal wastes.
Madam Kadiatu story is little different from others, she said she is a single mother with two daughters but she has been working here till her daughters sat the WASSCE examination last year. She seems to have confidence in scavenging, disregarding the risks and anti-social consequences. She is proud that through scavenging the dustbin her kids have completed high school and is even prepared to support them through college from the odd means of survival.
Although the United Nations reports that as much as 80% of Freetown’s waste could be recycled or used as compost, there are no formal sorting facilities to separate waste. Informal workers, street collectors and dumpsite scavengers collect some types of plastics which are transported for recycling out of Sierra Leone. There is need for government and other development partners to have deeper reflection on the situations of scavenging. Government response to this situation must go beyond the harsh use of law to curtail the practice that has been the means of survival for many.
