Gov’t unveils waste trading platform amid rising pollution figures.

According to figures presented during the launch, Cameroon’s waste output has doubled in less than a decade. 

Annual production is said to have risen from three million tonnes in 2016 to six million tonnes in 2025. Officials said of this only, a quarter is handled by waste collector HYSACAM. 

MINEPDED revealed that half of the waste generated is managed without compliance with existing regulations, while the remaining quarter is left untreated in the open environment. 

Authorities linked the development to adverse effects on public health, wildlife and ecosystems, as well as increased greenhouse gas emissions that distance the country from its commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“We have lived for years in this torment of waste with all that it causes. Now we are putting in place a system where the waste of some becomes the raw material of others,” Minister Hélé Pierre said. 

The initiative was welcomed by local authorities and private operators who commended the dual nature of the platforms impact. 

According to the Mayor of Ebolowa, Daniel Edjo’o, the platform has brought added value to waste and it now capital. 

He added that municipalities expected their towns to change in appearance and generate revenue through structured waste management.

On her part, the Director General of the National Waste Exchange, Sylvie Rebecca Essomba, outlined ten priority projects, four of which she said had been achieved with the official launch. 

She explained that the exchange and its digital platform would allow stakeholders to post their needs and offers in concrete terms, positioning the structure as the central eco-organisation in the sector.

“These materials will be reinjected into the industrial circuit. It is already a contribution to import substitution because costs will be reduced,” she stated.

Recyclers eye opportunities

In the private sector, waste recyclers have described the exchange as timely. A supervisor at waste recycling firm Red-Plast, Henri Yene, disclosed that they intend to take advantage of the waste exchange platform. 

“It will interconnect all actors in the transformation chain for better organisation,” he said. 

Red-Plast operates an online application for waste collection and plans to link its system to the new platform. 

According to Yene said the company expected improved sales and a more efficient recycling network nationwide.

For his part, the president of a consumer protection association, Prince Mpondo explained that the initiative will guarantee the right to a healthy environment for all. 

He added that the mechanism could also boost youth employment if properly implemented.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3705 of Monday February 16, 2026