Recycling and material recovery in Cameroon [Elektronische Ressource] : implications for poverty alleviation and ecological sustainability / vorgelegt von Fred Zisuh Asong

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Informations

• Publié par: brandenburgische_technische_universitat_cottbus
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 50
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Recycling and Material Recovery in Cameroon: Implications
for Poverty Alleviation and Ecological Sustainability






Von der Fakultät für Umweltwissenschaften und Verfahrenstechnik der
Brandenburgischen Technischen Universität Cottbus zur Erlangung des
akademischen Grades eines Doktor-Ingenieurs genehmigte Dissertation


vorgelegt von




M.Sc.

Fred Zisuh Asong

aus Tiko, Kamerun



Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Ertel
Gutachter: . Hans-Jürgen Voigt
Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 27.01.2010
ii

Dedication


To:

 My lovely wife Lekeaka for her constant support and endurance for the years I
have been away.

 My Dad (Zisuh) and Mum (Ajoache) for academic and moral upbringing. It has
always been their dream to see me reach this level.

 My mother-in-law, Mama Grace Fonkeng for the lessons of endurance and
commitment I have learned from her.







iii

Declaration
I, Fred Zisuh Asong, do hereby declare that this doctoral dissertation entitled
“Recycling and Material Recovery in Cameroon: Implications for Poverty
Alleviation and Ecological Sustainability” carried out at the Chair of Industrial
Sustainability and submitted to the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Process
Engineering at Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus, Germany in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the award of a “Doktor-Ingenieur” (Dr.-Ing) is my
original research.
The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Ertel, Head of the Chair of
Industrial Sustainability at BTU Cottbus (main supervisor) and Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Hans-
Jürgen Voigt, Head of the Chair of Environmental Geology at BTU Cottbus (co-
thsupervisor). The thesis was defended on 27 January 2010 before an examination
panel comprising Prof. Dr. Jur. Albrecht (Head), Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Ertel, Prof. Dr.
rer. nat. Hans-Jürgen Voigt and Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Albrecht Gnauck.
While part of this dissertation builds on the conceptual framework from some of my
previous studies at the above mentioned Chair and under the supervision of Prof. Dr.
rer. nat. J Ertel, I do also declare that the contents of this doctorate dissertation have
never been submitted in part or whole to any other academic or awarding institution for
the award of an academic degree.


Asong, Fred Zisuh (2311986)
(B.Sc. Geology; M.Sc. Appl. Geology; M.Sc. ERM) iv

Acknowledgments

I would only have done myself justice by admitting work of this magnitude could not
have been achieved without the immense support of some sort from some people
around me and a whole lot whom I got to meet or crossed path during my study period.

My sincere gratitude goes to Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Ertel for accepting to supervise
this research. Having benefited your supervision from my study project and master
thesis (at the master study program in Environmental and Resource Management) and
the present supervision for my doctorate thesis, I have not only got a rewarding big
thank you but I have come a long way to learning some realities in the academic world
and how such realities connect with the outside world. More so, I have learned good
human character necessary for interaction in an international community. I also express
enormous thanks to Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Hans-Jürgen Voigt of the Chair of Environmental
Geology at BTU Cottbus for co-supervising this research. Your critical comments have
been helpful. I am also grateful to DAAD through the BTU International office for
providing some financial support for my research.

I am deeply indebted to Dr. Agyingi, C.M. of the University of Buea for being a helpful
contact and resource person in Cameroon and whose input to this work has been
commendable. Your love for truth and humility has been my ideal. I wish to thank Obasi
Marinus (Life Science graduate of University of Buea) and his pals for the immense help
and selfless sacrifice to me for field work and other data collection. To my younger
brother, Dr. Ngoasong Michael Zisuh of Nottingham Trent University, England, I say
thank you for your financial and moral support. To my bosom friends Nkamta Ernest N.
and Nkengapa Daniel L, because of your true friendship to me, I can only say I love
you.

My gratitude to Mr Klaus-Peter Dreyer for the initial translation of the dissertation
summary into German and to Madam Susann Handke, secretary at the Chair of
Industrial Sustainability for the final German version and for her wonderful cooperation
in administrative issues related to my studies at the Chair.
v

I wish to acknowledge the massive financial, moral and spiritual support my Dad (Zisuh)
and Mum (Ajoache) have provided me with especially in the past six years. And to my
sisters and brothers: Mrs Sinju nee Atabong J., Mrs Forzi nee Ngulefac F., Mrs
Fuanchenaleh nee Ngenyi E., Nchonganyi Marie, Njinyah Sam, Nkemnji Jude and
Ndemafia B, the fact that you demanded so little of me but gave me more was a true
sign of your wish to see me succeed. To you all I owe my appreciation and love.

I owe immense gratitude to my in-laws the Tsamoh's and Bissong's not only for their
support and encouragement but for their coming to terms with the fact that I had to be
away from their daughter (my wife) for over three years because of academic
obligations. Yours have been a rare but highly commended level of understanding. May
the good lord continue to bless and keep you.

I remain indebted to the Kembe‟s (especially wife Fru Rose Bih) for the huge impact
they created on me during my studies – at some points you were like parents to me.
Only the good lord would reward you abundantly. At some point in time when the future
seemed bleak, Mrs Ajuang nee Sulwe Jackson and Kwah Mbazang did make a
difference for me and for this I owe them gratitude. A whole lot of friends also made life
worth living for me during these tumultuous years out of home and all of whose names I
cannot cite here not because of negligence yet I remain thankful to them. I wish to
acknowledge the support from the following friends: Nkemnkeng Pius, Anu Mbunya,
Tabenyang Victor, Samjeh Dinga, Nkengasong Henson, Frau Dreyer nee Daisy
Adhiambo, Frau Bittner nee Akinyi Yvonne.

Life away from my lovely spouse Atemkeng Mirabel L has never been any easy for me.
Despite the huge geographic separation, the love, support and encouragement I
received from her was enormous. Her faith in God and her trust in prayer have been so
vital in my success. Sweetheart thank you for all you are to me.

Despite my weaknesses and foolishness, I trust God has been blessing me and will
always do so. To Him be glory, praise and honor. Amen! vi

Summary
Recycling and material recovery are gaining more grounds in applicability as viable
options to sustainable solid waste management especially in Municipal Solid Waste
Management (MSWM) schemes. In this dissertation a critical analyzes is made of the
MSWM problem in Cameroon and an assessment of the role Small- and Medium-Size
Enterprises have been playing in the area of recycling and material recovery. The main
research methods applied in this research include: fieldwork, administration of
questionnaires, interview and literature review.

Using two case study localities (Limbe and Buea municipalities), the various practices in
MSWM are elaborated, the constraints and challenges faced by management discussed
and proposals for either expanding/upgrading existing schemes to be more sustainable
as well as strategies to initiate new systems presented. Innovations within collection
systems such as the introduction of household bins and specialized collection of specific
waste could be quite beneficial to existing schemes.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) which constitute one of the fastest
growing waste streams presents greater management challenges. Two case study
localities (Buea and Kumba) are used to analyze the problem of WEEE in Cameroon.
An overview of the handling of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) at end-of-life
(EoL) in Cameroon is made with special focus on households and repair units. At
household level, WEEE is disposed of alongside other waste arisings in the available
disposal facilities for given household. Repair units represent a very vital connection
between dysfunctional EEE and EoL forms as all users of EEE tend to bring these
devices to these units for repairs. An inventory of the various EEE at repair units for
these two localities shows that above 40% percent of such equipments are totally out of
use. In Kumba, Classes 1 and 4 EEE (according to EU WEEE directive classification)
dominate while class 3 is almost absent. In Buea, Class 3 and 4 are dominant. These
results show that socio-cultural, economic and even climatic factors influence the choice
of EEE that people in this area acquire. The intense level of repair activities and
recovery of useful parts by repair