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Contribution to the reduction of solid waste in runoff water in the Matonge 3 neighborhood (Kalamu)
Original title: Contribution à la réduction des déchets solides dans les eaux de ruissellement du quartier Matonge 3 (Kalamu)
Summary
When trash-collection services broke down in a Kinshasa neighborhood, garbage piling up in street drains made rainwater runoff dirtier and worsened flooding, creating health and environmental risks for the community. Researchers tested a local solution: sorting waste and turning plastic trash into building blocks while reusing collected sludge as fill material, showing that simple, community-driven recycling can cut pollution flowing into rivers that people and ecosystems depend on. This matters because unmanaged waste and contaminated runoff can spread disease and pollute water sources, so low-cost, local recycling programs could offer a practical way to
Following the termination of the European Union-funded Urban Rehabilitation and Sanitation Support Project (PARAU) in 2016, the management of municipal solid waste in Kinshasa has deteriorated considerably. The accumulation of household and commercial waste in drainage channels has intensified urban flooding, degraded runoff water quality, and increased environmental and public health risks. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated waste collection, sorting, and recovery approach for reducing solid waste transported by runoff water in Matonge 3, a neighborhood located in Kalamu Municipality, Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo). A descriptive, analytical, and cross-sectional research design combining quantitative and qualitative approaches was adopted. Ten streets draining directly into the Funa River were selected for investigation. Physicochemical parameters of runoff water, including pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity, and salinity, were measured before and after rainfall events. Collected waste was subsequently sorted, recycled, and valorized using locally developed technologies consisting of a waste collector-sorter, a shredder, a hot compactor, and a sludge-block production system. The results indicate that rainfall significantly alters the physicochemical characteristics of runoff water while promoting the downstream transport of solid waste. Djolu Avenue exhibited the highest levels of waste accumulation and water pollution among all monitored sites. Furthermore, the conversion of plastic waste into construction blocks and the reuse of dredged sediments as filling materials demonstrate the potential of circular economy practices to improve urban sanitation and reduce environmental pollution. The findings highlight that integrating community participation with locally adapted waste recovery technologies represents a sustainable strategy for improving stormwater management and protecting the aquatic ecosystems of the Funa watershed and, ultimately, the Congo River basin.