The visit of the Minister of the Environment and Ecological Transition, Dr. Abdourahmane Diouf, to the Mbeubeuss landfill on Monday, January 5, 2026, has generated as much anticipation as concern. Behind the modernization announcements made by the Project for the Promotion of Integrated Management and the Solid Waste Economy (Promoged), more than 3,000 waste pickers fear being left behind.

From the early hours of the morning, silhouettes and wisps of smoke mingle over the mountains of garbage at Mbeubeuss. Men, women, and sometimes children sift through, sort, and salvage anything that can be resold: plastic, metal, cardboard. Exploited since 1968, the site has become the sole source of income for thousands of people.

Mouhamadou Wade, Secretary General of the Mbeubeuss Waste Pickers Association, expresses his concern. “Most of the waste pickers are under 40, but there are also elderly people. We are told that the rehabilitation will respect environmental standards, but for many of us, this means unemployment. Only 500 waste pickers are supposed to be recruited. Where will the other 2,500 go?” he asks.

Modernization or exclusion

The Promoged project, intended to transform the landfill into a modern site, only provides for the partial integration of informal workers. "They talk to us about modernization, but for us, it looks like exclusion," laments Ibrahima Kanté, a waste picker for several years.

The scene is almost surreal: toxic fumes, suffocating odors, burning dust, and daily fires. The health risks are constant. To cope with their precarious situation, the waste pickers, known as "Boudiouman," have created a cooperative, but are still waiting for real support from the government, especially for retirees.

Competition deemed unfair

Beyond the fear of unemployment, the waste pickers denounce the pressure from foreign companies operating on the site. "A kilo of waste that used to sell for 100 FCFA is now bought for less than 50 FCFA by companies, particularly Chinese ones. This waste is processed and exported. This is a process that risks making us disappear," warns Mouhamadou Wade.

This is what our colleagues at the daily newspaper Le Soleil report, who emphasize that the recyclers fear seeing their activity disappear in favor of better organized and more economically powerful industrial players.