The Brikama Area Council (BAC) has earned praise from residents after acquiring six garbage trucks and a septic truck, in a major move to address the region’s mounting waste management challenges.

The new fleet, six garbage trucks and one septic truck, cost millions of dalasis and is aimed at easing the long-standing waste disposal challenges in the West Coast Region.

The trucks will be deployed across various communities. A small fee will be charged to residents to support maintenance costs, including repairs in case of mechanical breakdowns.

Drivers hired to operate the trucks are expected to undergo days of training before the waste collection officially begins on August 18 2025.

Many residents have welcomed the move, saying it will help solve persistent garbage problems. In several communities, donkey carts have long been the only option for transporting household waste.

The collected waste will now be officially dumped at the ‘Tambana’ site, designated by authorities to reduce environmental violations and prevent illegal dumping.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Brikama Area Council Chairman Yankuba Darboe said the initiative fulfils a key campaign promise to improve sanitation by providing functional waste trucks.

“The day I came into office, expectations were high,” he said.

He took a swipe at his predecessor, accusing the former leadership of mismanaging the region’s resources.

“I inherited a council that was deeply in debt. I had to pay off those debts and plug the black holes where our revenues were disappearing. Only then could we mobilize enough resources,” he said.

“We’ve now generated revenue and purchased equipment that the region desperately needed. The entire fleet of garbage trucks I inherited had broken down,” he added.

He also revealed plans to introduce a by-law to criminalize illegal dumping once the council reaches 60% waste collection coverage.

“The EU Ambassador told us that one of the major factors discouraging tourists from visiting The Gambia is the perception that the country is unclean,” he noted.

By Adama Makasuba