Key policies and governance approach

The Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development is responsible for implementing the government’s sectoral policy on pollution management. However, several other Ministries and/or Organizations intervene in its management [13].

The Sectoral Policy Letter for the Environment and Sustainable Development (LPSEDD) 2016-2020 includes an operational program dedicated to the fight against pollution and nuisances to improve the management of chemicals such as mercury and hazardous waste [13].

In Senegal, there are also a number of plans for the management of chemical, harmful and hazardous substances, including: The National Action Plan for the Management of Hazardous Waste (NWMP of 1999); The National Chemical Management Profile (2002, revised in 2011); The National Profile on the Management of Persistent Organic Pollutants (2002); The National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2005); The national action plan for the management of biomedical waste (March 2014), among others [13].

Law N ̊2001-01 of January 15, 2001 concerns the principle of the right of everyone to breathe air that does not harm their health. This law incorporates for the first time a standard (Senegalese Standard NS 05-060) which sets the requirements on gas emissions and exhaust fumes from motor vehicles, applying to carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and smoke opacity. In November 2003, the government set the conditions for the application of the new standard NS 05-062 on atmospheric pollution and to regulate the terms for reject of atmospheric pollutants into the ambient air. It applies generally to existing and new stationary installations and to vehicles that generate gaseous effluents [14].

In addition, Senegal set up an air quality management centre (CGQA), with six measuring stations distributed throughout the city of Dakar. These stations make it possible to monitor on a daily basis, five pollutants which are very harmful to health: PM10 (dust), PM2.5 (automotive and industrial origin), surface ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. A mobile laboratory truck has also been part of the system since 2015. It allows air quality to be measured at any point, particularly at stations not covered by the fixed network [2], [13]. Daily Air Quality Index (AQI) is available to both the public and the government [15].

Most recently, Senegal adopted the Anti-plastic Law No. 2020-04 of January 8, 2020, which replaces Law No. 2015-09 of May 4, 2015, on the prohibition of the production, import, possession, distribution, and use of thin polyethylene plastic bags, and the rational management of plastic waste. The amendments to the law in 2020 include the following: Prohibition of certain single-use plastic products or disposable plastic products; Total ban on plastic bags at retail checkout; Deposit on plastic bottles to improve collection and recycling; Producers obligation (extended responsibility), to ensure management of waste from the products in marketplace; Obligation to incorporate recycled plastic in the manufacture of new plastic products; Imposition of a tax on non-recyclable plastics to encourage use of recyclable plastics; and a ban on importing plastic waste into Senegal [6].

Successes and Remaining Challenges

Before the plastic law, there were no clear and specific laws that governed solid waste management in Senegal. The Environmental and Public Hygiene Code (Code de l’Environnement et de l’Hygiène Publique) addressed the problem in a piecemeal manner but dated back to 1974. A study that took place in Dakar in 2016 [5], revealed challenges concerning solid waste management at the government and policy level. First, laws and regulations on solid waste management did not evolve in a manner that ensures a clear delineation of responsibilities between the national government and municipalities. Municipalities simply claim that they do not have sufficient funds to ensure a sustainable solid waste management system in their areas of jurisdiction and that the government should pay for solid waste management. Over time, responsibilities for solid waste management have shifted between public and private stakeholders without clear roles for each sector [5].

Second, laws and regulations have never been sufficiently enforced to reduce the indiscriminate disposal of solid waste by households. To improve solid waste management in the country, the two levels of government (municipalities and national government) should put in place incentives to promote sorting, recycling, and composting — these strategies have been proven to be effective in developed countries. In addition, the government should improve the working conditions of solid waste management personnel who are, in most cases, stigmatized due to the nature of their work. Members of the public should be sensitized about the importance of keeping the environment clean and safe. Ultimately, improved solid waste management will lead to a reduction in infectious diseases (e.g. diarrhoea, typhoid, malaria) and chronic diseases (such as asthma) in addition to promoting the well- being of vulnerable populations (women and children) [5].

Despite the significant progress recorded by the Government of Senegal since 2003 with the implementation of the NS 05-062 standard and with the creation of a monitoring system, the air people breathe is not always of good quality, especially in the city of Dakar. In fact, the city is confronted throughout the year with worrying levels of particulate pollution far exceeding the limit values [14]. Dakar residents, informed day by day about the quality of the air they breathe, expect a lot from the action of the public authorities, but they are also one of the keys to improving the situation. This necessarily involves a renewal of the vehicle fleet, that is the gradual replacement of old transport vehicles by modern buses and taxis (vehicles with less polluting technologies) [14].

The Government of Senegal is committed to reducing the negative externalities of transport through the development of public transport systems [14]. Programs are being implemented in Senegal, including the public transportation fleet renewal program, creation of the Regional Express Train (TER) and the BRT (Rapid Transit Bus) [13]. In the industrial sector, the public authorities should strengthen regulatory requirements by imposing heavy taxes on polluting activities to encourage manufacturers to use fewer polluting technologies [14].

In Senegal, the global coronavirus pandemic is affecting the application of the law seeking to control plastic pollution. In a press release published on April 18, 2020, the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Abdou Karim Sall, announced the relaxation of certain provisions of Law No. 2020-04 of January 8, 2020 on the prevention and reduction of the environmental impact of plastic products [16]. The proposed ban of single use water bags was postponed to mitigate transmission risk from shared water containers. Government measures on single-use plastic will require strong focus on awareness raising to ensure buy-in from the citizenry. Current awareness directed at the impacts of littering does not yet extend to the benefits of a transition to a circular economy [6].

Initiatives and Development Plans

Improving solid waste management for six million people in Senegal is the objective of the Project for the Promotion of Integrated Management and Economy of Solid Waste (PROMOGED), which was launched the Mbeubeuss landfill site. The project will lead to the creation of seven technical landfill centres, standardised collection points, and solid waste sorting and transfer centres. The project will also contribute to the closure or rehabilitation of some landfills in Senegal, with a direct impact on the climate through the mitigation of CO2 emissions.

The Solid Waste Coordination and Management Unit (UCG) will implement PROMOGED. The public body sets up infrastructure to standards, manages the cleaning, collection and transport of waste, as well as social mobilisation. The UCG is also leading the development of the national waste management strategy and capacity building for Senegalese municipalities. PROMOGED will cost around US$ 295 million. The funds will come from the World Bank, the French Development Agency (AFD), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). In addition to reducing pollution, the Project for the Promotion of Integrated Management and Economy of Solid Waste will promote the development of the circular economy in Senegal [17].