Les effets des mesures barrières contre la Covid-19 sur les perceptions des acteurs de la filière des ordures ménagères à Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

Abstract

Between the beginning of March and the end of May 2020, Burkina Faso experienced a controversial communication around the management of Covid-19 patients. In order to strengthen the resilience of the population in the face of the pandemic, "social" measures were then taken. Finally, barrier measures were strongly relayed by the media, including "Let's get wet with a handkerchief to throw immediately in the trash". This measure strongly disrupts the organization of household waste management in the capital Ouagadougou, now marked by permanent contact between the actors of the sector and garbage waste at all stages of management. This article aims to highlight the effects of Covid-19 communication on perceptions of health risks related to household waste in Ouagadougou. It is based on data collected during the period of confinement introduced in Burkina Faso between March and April 2020.Mainly qualitative, these data were collected from people from waste sector (opinion leaders, pre-collectors, municipal councillors, etc.). These data reveal that the media coverage of barrier measures amplifies the health risks associated with waste and reconfigures the relationship between pre-collectors and waste producers in Ouagadougou. They also show that, in view of the climatic conditions and the time taken at each stage of household waste management, all actors, from pre-collection to landfill, are exposed to the risks of contracting Covid-19 COVID-19 from soiled tissues thrown in the garbage cans.

Keywords

• Burkina Faso
• Covid-19
• barrier measures
• household waste
• Ouagadougou
• perceptions