The copyright of the above-mentioned described thesis rests with the author or the University to which it was submitted. No portion of the text derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author or University (as may be appropriate). Short quotations may be included in the text of a thesis or dissertation for purposes of illustration, comment or criticism, provided full acknowledgement is made of the source, author and University. THE CHALLENGES OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FACING THE CITY OF KINSHASA: THE CASE OF KINSHASA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY BY LONGONDJO ETAMBAKONGA Clement A Research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in the fulfilment of the degree of Master of Science in Development Planning. October, 2009 ii DECLARATION I declare that this research report is my own, unaided work except where due reference is made. It is being submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Science in Development Planning in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It has not been submitted before for any degree or examination in any other University. __________________________________ (Signature of Candidate) ---------------------Day of -----------------------2009 iii DEDICATION To my God Jehovah, creator of the whole universe; to my lord and saviour Jesus Christ To my family for being there when I needed them most iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, my special thanks go to Jehovah who was provided me with energy, courage, strength and everything necessary to accomplish this work. My greatest gratitude must be given to all staff of the Department of Urban and Regional planning and development Planning, University of Witwatersrand for the academic nourishment. I pay special tribute to my supervisor Prof. Fana Sihlongonyane for his encouragement, help and supervision throughout the research. He tirelessly pointed out mistakes and made constructive criticisms, which have contributed to the successful completion of this research. I feel immensely indebted to acknowledge the assistance of the staff of Kinshasa local municipality, especially Burgomaster Paul Gerard Sapu Kalima, Deputy Burgomaster Erick Mbala Kabeya and Chief Clerk Norbert Kima Watete; and all stakeholders involved on solid waste management in Kinshasa for their co-operation during data collection. Special thanks go to my parent Thomas Etambakonga Kafua and Helena Onya Walo; you have been a pillar of strength; thank you for the continuous love, motivation and support that you so willingly give to me. I also thank my brother Jean Paul Koso and my cousin Michel Uyumbu for their encouragement and support throughout this research. Not to forget are my fellow students who also gave me words of encouragement and determination. Finally, I would like to thank Ms Naomi for helping me to edit and fine-tune this work; my friend Christine Alaka and my daughter Maria Longondjo for their love and support. v ABSTRACT Solid waste management has become the real challenge in many cities in the world. The situation has become more critical in many local municipalities in Africa because of the rapid growing of urbanization, bad governance and the high incidence of poverty. To this end, the accumulation of solid waste has become a health hazard responsible for the occurrence of various kinds of diseases. The purpose of this research is to identify the challenges of solid waste management in the city of Kinshasa. The case study of Kinshasa Local Municipality (KLM) which is part of the city of Kinshasa is the area affected mostly by waste challenges and is the focal point of the study. This municipality involves key stakeholders such as households, informal collectors, private sector, public sector and the international organization in the management of waste. The study has utilised the collection of data from secondary and primary sources. The primary sources entailed the interviews which were carried out based on questionnaire surveys administered to key stakeholders together with field observations. The secondary sources were documents including policy documents of the Congolese Government, legislations regarding solid waste management as well as relevant books and journals. The research indicates that solid waste is a tragedy in Kinshasa Local Municipality as a result of mismanagement and lack of policies by the Congolese Government at all levels. Challenges identified include: unplanned growth and increasing pressure to provide services; lack of adequate authority to address people, infrastructure and resourcing problems; bureaucratic confusion and delays due to a multitude of agencies; lacking accountability; limited communication within the city administration and more importantly between the city administration and the various stakeholders; lacking of environmental education and awareness within local municipality; lacking skills of municipal workforces; financial constraints and gender related issues. This research makes planning recommendations in terms of rational comprehensive planning, equity planning, communicative planning and advocacy planning in a complementary and integrative approach. Within these integrated forms of planning, there are further recommendations for: enforcing environmental legislation; reducing plastic production through principle „pollutant pay for pollution‟; empowering women for their engagement in waste management; consolidating leadership in local municipality level, promoting decentralization and municipal finance systems; promoting educational awareness and community participation, and creating partnership between different stakeholders in solid waste management in the city of Kinshasa as a whole. vi Table of Contents CHAPTER ONE: THE CURRENT STATE OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN AFRICAN CITIES 1 1.0 Background of Solid Waste Management in African Cities and in Kinshasa Local Municipality 1 1.1 Rationale of the Study 4 1.2 Research Purpose and Objectives 5 1.3 Hypothesis of the Research 5 1.4 Initial Preview of Literature: Current Arguments and Perspectives for the Generation of Solid Waste Management in Urban Areas in Africa 6 1.4.1 Urbanization and Population Growth 7 1.4.2 Inappropriate Technologies for Waste Collection and Removal 7 1.4.3 Lack of Waste Planning and Collection Co-ordination 8 1.4.4 Need of Environmental Awareness and Education 8 1.4.5 Inapplicability of Law and by-laws Enforcement 9 1.4.6 Challenges Relating to Specific Budget and Solid Waste are not a Priority 9 1.4.7 Shortage of Liable Infrastructures 10 1.5 Research Methods Adopted in the Study 11 1.6 Limitations of the Study 15 1.7 Synopsis of this Research 15 CHAPTER TWO: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT 17 2.0 Introduction 17 2.1 Conceptual Framework of Solid Waste 17 2.1.1 Overview on Solid Waste 17 2.1.2 Nature of Waste 18 2.1.3 Sources and Type of Solid Waste 19 2.1.4 Hierarchy of Solid Waste 20 vii 2.2 Debates around the Issues of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Africa 31 2.2.1 Urbanization and Solid Waste Management 32 2.2.2 Management of Solid Waste and Urban Sustainability 33 2.2.3 Urban Governance and Solid Waste Management 34 2.2.4 Urban Poverty and Solid Waste Management 36 2.2.5 Privatization of Urban Solid Waste Management 37 2.2.6 Public Participation and Urban Solid Waste Management 39 2.2.7 Public-Private Partnership in Solid Waste Management 40 2.2.8 Afro-Pessimism and Solid Waste Management 42 2.2.9 Public Sector Capacities and Financial Constrains 42 2.2.10 Roles of Planning and Local Government within Waste Management 43 CHAPTER THREE: THE CASE STUDY: KINSHASA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY/ KINSHASA 47 3.0 Introduction 47 3.1 Overview of the City Province of Kinshasa (CPK) 47 3.2 Description of Case Study: Kinshasa Local Municipality (KLM) 57 3.3 Legal and Institutional Framework of Solid Waste Management in KLM 65 CHAPTER FOUR: THE CURRENT CHALLENGES OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN KINSHASA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY 78 4.0 Introduction 78 4.1 The Identification of Stakeholders involved in Solid Waste Management in KLM 78 4.1.1 Public Sector 80 4.1.2 Informal Collectors (Solid Waste Workers) 81 4.1.3 Private Institutions Involved in Solid Waste Management in KLM 83 4.1.4 Local Communities (Householders) 87 4.2 Dynamic and Implications of Institutions 89 4.2.1 Findings and Analysis 89 viii 4.2.2 Analysis of the Findings of the Key Stakeholders of Solid Waste Management in KLM 92 4.2.3 Public Officials (PNA, OVD, Hotel de Ville and Local Environmental Unit) 95 4.2.4 Informal Collectors 96 4.2.5 Waste Pickers (PAUK, PoubelKin, Congo Salubrite) 97 4.2.6 Local Community (Householders) 98 4.3 Analysis and Interpretation of Findings 100 4.3.1 Urbanization and Solid Waste Generation in KLM 100 4.3.2 Urban Governance and Solid Waste Management in KLM 101 4.3.3 Poverty and Solid Waste Management in KLM 102 4.3.4 Partnership in Urban Solid Waste Management in KLM 104 4.4 Environmental Implications of Solid Waste Management in KLM 105 4.4.1 Pollution Due to Solid Waste 105 4.4.2 Flooding Due to Solid Waste 106 4.4.3 Health Hazards as Risks of Solid Waste in KLM 107 4. 5 Hierarchy of Solid Waste Management in KLM 108 4.5.1: Cleaning of Solid Waste in KLM 109 4.5.2 Collection of Solid Waste in KLM 110 4.5.3 Recycling of Solid Waste in KLM 111 4.5.4 Transportation 112 4.5.5 Disposal of Solid Waste in KLM 113 4.6 Conclusion from the Case Study 114 CHAPTER FIVE: IDENTIFICATION OF CHALLENGES