ABSTRACT
While the municipal solid waste management systems (MSW) dominated by the informal sector make positive contributions to the environment, they are also characterized by inadequate service delivery, low waste recovery, operational inefficiencies, and inadequate waste disposal. The presence of municipal solid waste poses a threat to public health and the environment if not managed properly. This chapter focuses on the detrimental impact of MSW in Nampula city, Mozambique, where populations live near open dumps with open burning. The chapter aims to analyze perceptions about the effects of MSW on health and on the environment of these populations that live close to dumps in Nampula. Employing an epidemiological questionnaire with individuals residing in four different geographical areas, the chapter finds that the exposed populations may suffer illnesses and injuries from living close to the MSW but showed a lack of awareness about this. Given that waste collection is undifferentiated and different types of MSW are placed in these locations, it is expected that in addition to contamination by vectors including mosquitoes, rats and domestic animals that can cause tropical diseases in these populations, other contaminants, such as heavy metals and persistent organic compounds, cannot be excluded. As uncontrolled waste burning is reported, these populations may also be exposed to dioxins and furans. These results point to the issues related to environmental justice and unequal exposure to the environmentally detrimental impact of a MSW dominated by the informal sector.
