(Business in Cameroon) – Hysacam, the Hygiene and Sanitation Company of Cameroon, is launching a program to build waste transfer centers in Douala. These facilities will serve as transit points where garbage collected by trucks can be grouped before being transported to treatment sites using larger, more cost-effective vehicles. The first of these centers was inaugurated on September 25, 2024, in the Youpwè neighborhood. Built on a 5,000 square meter site, this transfer center was constructed by Hysacam and financed by the Douala Urban Community (CUD) for CFA1 billion.
This new center will help lower the costs of garbage collection in the city. “This first center can transfer 800 tons of waste per day and reduce daily waste collection by 50%, which is estimated at 1,800 tons in the economic capital,” said Jean-Pierre Ymele, the general director of Hysacam. He explained that with this site, the transport cost of waste, which is currently set at CFA13,000 per ton charged to the Douala municipality, is expected to drop by about 23%. This means the local government will now pay CFA10,500 per ton, resulting in a savings of CFA2,500 per ton. “This will allow the Douala municipality to recover the investment in this facility within a year,” added Jean-Pierre Ymele.
This transfer center is designed for direct loading, meaning waste is dumped straight into trucks rather than onto the ground. It features a weighbridge, an unloading area for waste, and a tunnel that can accommodate six large trucks of 30 cubic meters at once. The facility also includes a maintenance area, a wastewater recovery basin, and space for accepting bulky waste, such as branches and used furniture.
The site will accept household waste transported by smaller trucks from four districts of Douala, specifically Douala 1 to Douala 4. After collection, this waste will be transferred to larger trucks of at least 30 cubic meters for transport to the waste treatment center at PK 10 or Ngombé. The center will also operate as a drop-off point for residents to dispose of bulky items.
Two more transfer centers are set to be built in Douala by 2025 to further enhance cleanliness services in the city. Douala’s mayor, Roger Mbassa Ndine, expressed his readiness to fund these new projects, which will help improve urban cleanliness.
Given the challenges of resource scarcity, Hysacam promises to invest in these transfer centers to enhance service quality and manage costs effectively. The company’s top management believes these investments can help control budget growth and improve waste management during financially difficult times. Hysacam faces many challenges, including cash flow issues arising from delayed payments from government authorities. The company encourages municipalities to commit to implementing these transfer centers, which will support a circular economy by enabling the recycling of pre-sorted waste by specialized companies.
