Waste Management

Cape Verde has ratified the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. Currently, the Government of Cape Verde is seeking support from the EU to help implement a water and environmental infrastructure framework. An agreement was made to concentrate resources in the water and sanitation sectors, particularly for the supply and distribution of drinking water, collection and treatment of residual water, and solid waste control.

The accumulation of waste in Cape Verde is having a negative impact on the environment and consequently on those economic sectors, such as tourism and fisheries, which rely on a healthy environment for success. The quality of tourism services that focus on the sun and the sea are at risk of becoming unsustainable in the long run, as current waste management practices and pollution decrease the aesthetic value of the environment. In particular, there is urgent need for sanitation systems and recycling of sewage water, as well as for improving systems for collecting solid waste. The main indicators for environmental pollution are the presence of used oil in the soil, the dispersion and accumulation of non-biodegradable solid waste in waste dumps, the accumulation of vehicle exhaust gases (mainly in urban centers) and of aerosols (dust and sand) in the air. All these aspects of environmental pollution are on the increase in all municipalities. The only exception is São Vicente, partially due to the involvement of an NGO that collects and stores used oil.