Palm Waste Management and Environmental Sustainability in Sombo Community, Cameroon

The management of waste produced during processing remains a major preoccupation to the local environment. This study aims to assess palm waste management on environmental sustainability, identify different waste management practices, environmental problems, and identify measures that can be set forth for proper waste management in Sombo. Soil and water samples were collected and analysed, while field observations and interviews were conducted. Results showed that almost all artisanal palm oil mills produce different types of waste, including empty fruit bunches (EFB), palm oil mill effluent (POME), palm kernel shell (PKS), palm pressed fibres (PPF), etc. but their disposal remain a major challenge. EFB, PPF, and kennel shells are usually managed by open dumping practices, which, when dry, are then burnt around the milling sites; POME waste is commonly emptied into the nearby land surface and water bodies. These practices have led to a change of soil texture, increase soil bulk density, increase total exchangeable bases, organic carbon, and organic matter content, and also decrease total soil nitrogen, carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N ratio), increase soil available phosphorus, and decreases soil cation exchange capacity (CEC). Also, the water quality indices for three out of five nearby streams were poor (>50 units) and were unfit for consumption in one of the palm oil milling sites. Producers showed limited knowledge about these environmental effects caused by unsustainable waste management methods. The study concluded that Oil palm waste management practices in Sombo are unsustainable, and producers continue to use inefficient local technologies for palm oil production, thereby increasing the pollution rate of the environment. The development of a local, sustainable oil palm waste management strategy, sensitisation, and capacity building of producers is highly recommended for this community.