Solid waste management strategies at the port of cotonou (Benin, West Africa)

This research studies the strategies of solid waste management in the autonomous port of Cotonou. The socio-anthropological investigations, based on the techniques of individual maintenance and direct observation, made it possible to identify the solid waste management strategies at the autonomous port of Cotonou. The participatory approach allowed all the target actors of the study to express their views on waste management strategies in the port of Cotonou. The results of the analysis show that solid waste management strategies include pre-collection, collection, periodic removal of waste and treatment of damaged products by the internal institutions of the autonomous port of Cotonou. The management of the excreta is carried out by the autonomous sanitation system of the port. The different strategies for solid waste management in the Port of Cotonou have many shortcomings and are inadequate and are therefore not very effective and not convincing. The environmental department of the autonomous port of Cotonou has difficulty coordinating all the activities of collection, removal and treatment of port waste. Moreover, no follow-up measures are observed in their treatment, this neglect causes a deep degradation of the port environment.