Over 700 workers have been trained and deployed by the Freetown City Council to help implement the city’s new sanitation by-laws. The initiative, part of the ongoing “Dorti Mus Go” campaign, focuses on strengthening community engagement and ensuring compliance with waste management regulations.

The two-day training prepared workers to handle community outreach, grievance redress, gender-based violence awareness, and the details of the new waste collection system. Starting this month, they will work alongside city officers to educate residents on registering for waste collection. Those who fail to comply risk fines of SLE 5,000 or possible jail time.

Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, closing the training, highlighted progress already made in the city’s sanitation sector. These include the introduction of waste collection tricycles, daily sweeping of main streets, new transfer stations, and the launch of a hotline for complaints.

She also acknowledged challenges beyond the council’s control, such as poor road infrastructure, weak building permit systems, and the lack of available land for a new landfill site. While stressing that the by-laws alone cannot solve every issue, the Mayor emphasized that they provide crucial legal backing to waste service providers and help encourage greater community responsibility.

The Mayor urged residents and service providers to embrace the reforms, warning that enforcement will be applied where necessary. She also expressed optimism, noting that over 15,000 residents have already registered under the new system.

“Let’s continue our collective journey of transforming Freetown,” she said, calling on the city to take ownership of its sanitation efforts.