In Bamako, Mali, the city’s increasing population has led to challenges in waste management, with piles of garbage becoming a common sight on some streets. To tackle this issue, residents are turning to donkey carts for trash collection. Yacouba Diallo, a garbage collector, named his donkeys Keita and Kanté and relies on them to navigate the city’s streets efficiently, reaching places that trucks struggle to access. Diallo mentioned that using donkey carts requires less investment than using trucks, allowing him to earn up to $166 per month, which attracts many unemployed youth from rural areas of Mali seeking work opportunities.

However, concerns have been raised about the welfare of the donkeys used for garbage collection. Advocacy groups claim that some donkeys are overworked, endure long hours, and lack protection from hazardous materials like broken glass at dump sites. Despite these challenges, the demand for waste collection services remains high in Bamako, where there is a lack of proper waste disposal infrastructure. The absence of designated transfer sites and landfills meeting required standards further exacerbates the city’s waste management issues, according to waste management consultant Bamadou Sidibé.

In an effort to improve waste management in Bamako, the World Bank approved a $250 million project to upgrade a landfill outside the city to international standards and establish a new landfill within Bamako. However, the timeline for the project remains unclear. While local authorities acknowledge the waste disposal problem in the city, they also point fingers at residents for their lack of environmental consciousness and reluctance to pay for waste disposal services. Some residents admit to dumping garbage in running water during the rainy season to avoid hiring collectors, highlighting a widespread issue of waste mismanagement in Bamako.

In the absence of effective waste disposal solutions, some residents resort to scavenging through garbage mounds to find items for reuse or resale, despite the associated health and safety risks. This practice is not unique to Bamako and has been observed in other African capitals. Tragically, such activities can have fatal consequences, as seen in a recent landfill collapse in Uganda’s capital that claimed the lives of at least 30 people. As efforts to address waste management challenges continue in Bamako, the long-term impact of innovative solutions like the World Bank-funded project remains to be seen.