[ Impacts environnementaux des déchets de couches jetables à usage unique dans la ville de Yaoundé ]
Volume 32, Issue 2, March 2021, Pages 303–312
Valerie Tsama Njitat1, F. Brice Nicolas Atékoa Mbarga2, Francis Kom Meliphe3, and Hervé Tchékoté4
1 Research Unit on applied Botanic, University of Dschang, Cameroon
2 Département de Géographie, CRESA Forêt-Bois, Université de Dschang, Cameroon
3 Unité de Recherche en Botanique Appliquée, Université de Dschang, Cameroon
4 Département de Géographie, CRESA Forêt-Bois, Université de Dschang, Cameroon
Original language: French
Copyright © 2021 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This paper presents the results of the survey on the impact of disposable diaper waste on the environment of the city of Yaoundé in Cameroon. In total, 140 households unequally distributed in the 26 selected districts were surveyed. The neighborhoods have been stratified according to criteria such as socio-economic aspect, access to hygiene and sanitation services, quality of houses. The households surveyed were chosen at random and the interview guides were administered to them. The survey population is young (105 households are between 18 and 38 years old) and 82% are made up of women mothers. 84% of households use around 3 diapers / day for an average of 7 months and the neighborhood shop is the preferred place of supply. Although most (58 households) declare their preference towards the MOLFIX brand for their offspring, others admit generally using around 2 brands in combination. The average mass of used diaper waste produced by a household with a child in the city of Yaoundé is estimated at 120 g / day or 840g / week or 4.32 kg / year of diaper waste. Based on the low frequency of emptying the bins by the hygiene services coupled with the multiplicity of wild piles, it cannot be ruled out that these different exposure routes lead to an increase in environmental risks, particularly through substances. such as: dioxins, furans, formaldehyde contained in baby diapers.
Author Keywords: Yaoundé, baby diapers, households, environmental risks.
Volume 32, Issue 2, March 2021, Pages 303–312
Valerie Tsama Njitat1, F. Brice Nicolas Atékoa Mbarga2, Francis Kom Meliphe3, and Hervé Tchékoté4
1 Research Unit on applied Botanic, University of Dschang, Cameroon
2 Département de Géographie, CRESA Forêt-Bois, Université de Dschang, Cameroon
3 Unité de Recherche en Botanique Appliquée, Université de Dschang, Cameroon
4 Département de Géographie, CRESA Forêt-Bois, Université de Dschang, Cameroon
Original language: French
Copyright © 2021 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
This paper presents the results of the survey on the impact of disposable diaper waste on the environment of the city of Yaoundé in Cameroon. In total, 140 households unequally distributed in the 26 selected districts were surveyed. The neighborhoods have been stratified according to criteria such as socio-economic aspect, access to hygiene and sanitation services, quality of houses. The households surveyed were chosen at random and the interview guides were administered to them. The survey population is young (105 households are between 18 and 38 years old) and 82% are made up of women mothers. 84% of households use around 3 diapers / day for an average of 7 months and the neighborhood shop is the preferred place of supply. Although most (58 households) declare their preference towards the MOLFIX brand for their offspring, others admit generally using around 2 brands in combination. The average mass of used diaper waste produced by a household with a child in the city of Yaoundé is estimated at 120 g / day or 840g / week or 4.32 kg / year of diaper waste. Based on the low frequency of emptying the bins by the hygiene services coupled with the multiplicity of wild piles, it cannot be ruled out that these different exposure routes lead to an increase in environmental risks, particularly through substances. such as: dioxins, furans, formaldehyde contained in baby diapers.
Author Keywords: Yaoundé, baby diapers, households, environmental risks.
Abstract: (french)
Cet article présente les résultats de l’enquête sur l’impact des déchets de couches jetables sur l’environnement de la ville de Yaoundé au Cameroun. Au total, 140 ménages inégalement répartis dans les 26 quartiers sélectionnés ont été enquêtés. Les quartiers ont été stratifiés suivant les critères tels que l’aspect socio-économique, l’accès aux services d’hygiène et de salubrité, la qualité des maisons et la qualité du site de décharge. Les ménages enquêtés étaient choisis au hasard et les guides d’entretien leur ont été administrés. La population d’enquête est jeune (105 ménages ont entre 18 et 38 ans) et est à 82% constituée de femmes-mères de famille. Celles-ci utilisent environ à 84%, 3 couches/jour pour une durée moyenne de 7 mois et la boutique du quartier est le lieu préférentiel d’approvisionnement. Même si la plupart d’entre elles (58 ménages) déclare leur préférence envers la marque MOLFIX pour leurs progénitures, d’autres avouent utiliser généralement environ 2 marques en association. La masse moyenne de déchets de couches usagées produites par un ménage ayant un enfant dans la ville de Yaoundé est estimée à 120 g/jr ou 840g/semaine ou 4,32kg/an de déchets de couches. En se basant sur la faible fréquence de vidange des bacs par les services d’hygiène couplée à multiplicité des tas sauvage, il n’est pas à exclure que ces différentes voies d’exposition conduisent à une augmentation des risques environnementaux notamment à travers les substances telles que: les dioxines, les furanes, le formaldéhyde contenues dans les couches pour bébé.
Author Keywords: Yaoundé, couches jetables, ménages, risques environnementaux.
How to Cite this Article
Valerie Tsama Njitat, F. Brice Nicolas Atékoa Mbarga, Francis Kom Meliphe, and Hervé Tchékoté, “Environmental impacts of single-use disposable diaper waste in the city of Yaounde,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 303–312, March 2021.
