The Freetown City Council (FCC) has announced the full enforcement of its Solid and Liquid Waste Collection Byelaws 2024, introducing penalties for residents and businesses that fail to comply with the city’s waste management regulations.
The enforcement campaign, being carried out with support from the Sierra Leone Police under the #DortiMusGo initiative, requires households, businesses and institutions to register with FCC-approved waste collection service providers and pay collection fees through authorised channels.
Residents are also required to use approved waste containers and observe designated collection schedules.
Under the byelaws, illegal dumping of waste, open burning of refuse and payments to unauthorised waste collectors are prohibited. Offenders could face fines of up to NLe5,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both.
The move comes as authorities seek to address persistent sanitation challenges in the capital, where poor waste disposal has long been linked to environmental pollution, blocked drainage systems and flooding during the rainy season.
Despite years of clean-up campaigns and public awareness efforts, waste remains a visible problem in many parts of Freetown. Piles of refuse can be seen in some communities, while waste is increasingly being deposited on road medians, pedestrian walkways and other public spaces.
The issue is not confined to the city. Similar scenes are visible in parts of the Western Area Rural District, where refuse is often dumped along roadsides and in open spaces, raising concerns about public health and environmental management.
Environmental experts have warned that indiscriminate waste disposal can obstruct drainage channels and increase the risk of flooding. The problem has become a recurring concern in Freetown, a coastal city that has experienced several destructive flood events in recent years.
Health officials have also linked poor sanitation to the spread of waterborne diseases, including cholera, particularly in densely populated communities with limited access to basic services.
FCC says the byelaws form part of broader efforts to improve waste collection and ensure that residents, businesses and institutions take greater responsibility for how waste is managed and disposed of.
The council argues that stronger enforcement is necessary if the city is to achieve cleaner neighbourhoods and reduce the environmental and health risks associated with unmanaged waste.
Whether the new measures succeed may depend not only on enforcement, but also on the availability and reliability of waste collection services across the capital and surrounding communities.
For many residents, the effectiveness of the campaign will ultimately be measured by a simple question: whether Freetown becomes visibly cleaner in the months ahead.
