By Ibrahim Sesay

On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, the Freetown City Council (FCC) officially launched the #DortiMusGo campaign at Mayenkineh Market, Calaba Town, East End of Freetown. The initiative marks a renewed commitment to addressing sanitation challenges within the municipality.

Supported by the revised Sanitation Act of 2024 and a digitized waste management system, the campaign aims to promote environmental responsibility and foster community collaboration across the city.

At the launch event, Deputy Mayor Kweku Melvin Lisk Esq. described the initiative as “a turning point” for Freetown. “Over the years, we have struggled with waste issues that have hindered the city’s development and beautification,” he said. “For meaningful change to take place, we must shift our mindset and work collaboratively to overcome this challenge.”

Kweku Melvin Lisk emphasized that the council now has a robust legal framework to enforce sanitation laws and pledged serious implementation efforts. “This campaign is not a one-time event but a continuous process,” he affirmed.

Marian J. Tucker, Environmental Sanitation Officer at FCC, explained that the sanitation by-law guiding the campaign had been reviewed, approved by Parliament and officially gazetted. “The previous law was outdated and we lacked partnerships with waste service providers,” she noted.

To improve waste management, Freetown has been divided into eight blocs, each comprising six wards. “Every bloc is assigned one certified service provider responsible for waste collection at the community level,” Marian J. Tucker said. “All households and businesses must register with their designated provider and pay for waste services.”

The waste management system has been fully digitized to facilitate online registration, payments and complaint handling. “Partnering with service providers ensures efficient and effective waste management,” she added. Violations of the new by-law carry penalties of a Le5,000 fine, six months’ imprisonment or both.

Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr described the launch as a critical milestone in shifting enforcement efforts from penalizing street dumping to ensuring proper registration for waste collection services. “Every resident must take responsibility for their waste, garbage does not fall from the sky; every piece is dropped by someone,” she remarked.

The Mayor also highlighted structural challenges to sanitation, including “poor land-use planning and lack of devolution of key responsibilities.” She noted that over 45% of Freetown’s population lives in areas inaccessible by road, forcing residents to dispose of waste in gutters or rely on the rains to wash it away.

Community stakeholders at the event echoed the call for local collaboration. Tamba Nabieu, a youth leader in Calaba Town, shared how young people have taken the initiative to clean the market. “We give small tokens of appreciation to those who participate, but we face challenges disposing of collected waste,” he said.

Tamba Nabieu appealed for greater Council support, particularly in waste collection logistics. “I urge the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to assign a waste truck to our community. The councilor, chairlady and I have done our best, but with more support, we can achieve much more,” he stated, encouraging collective effort to rid the area of garbage.

Chief Pa Alimamy Kamara, Tribal Head of Calaba Town, welcomed the new by-law and campaign. “The #DortiMusGo initiative is very important. In 2014, I introduced a local by-law that reduced waste in our community, but this new law, with its fines and jail terms, will be far more effective,” he said.

The Chief also called for night patrols to monitor illegal dumping. “Most waste is dumped into gutters at night. Having vigilantes on patrol would be a tremendous help,” he explained. “As tribal head, I will firmly support enforcement of this by-law.”

He reminded community members that indiscriminate waste disposal poses serious health risks.

The #DortiMusGo campaign is part of the FCC’s broader effort to sanitize and transform Freetown into a cleaner, healthier city. https://thecalabashnewspaper.com/fcc-launches-dortimusgo-campaign-to-tackle-indiscriminate-waste-disposal/