PAYNESVILLE — Residents of Whein Town are demanding the closure of the Whein Town Landfill, accusing authorities of continuing to use a site they say has exceeded its intended lifespan and is exposing surrounding communities to growing health and environmental risks.
Residents interviewed by FrontPage Africa cited increasing mosquito and fly infestations, foul-smelling water they fear may be contaminated, and the presence of rodents and snakes around homes.
They also complained that sections of the wall surrounding the landfill have collapsed, allegedly creating additional entry points for rodents and snakes into nearby residential areas.
‘We Want the Dumpsite Closed’
Samuel Kofi Jones III, Secretary General of the Whein Town Community Leadership, told FrontPage Africa that residents have raised concerns about the landfill for years and have previously protested activities they considered harmful to the community.
Jones recalled an incident around 2012 or 2013 when authorities allegedly brought seized drugs to the area and burned them near the landfill, saying fumes spread into the community.
The incident, he said, prompted residents to protest and demand greater community oversight of activities at the facility.
According to Jones, a community monitoring team was subsequently established, initially comprising eight residents who worked in shifts, including overnight, to monitor activities at the landfill.
He said the team was later reduced to four members because of financial constraints, while stipends have not been paid consistently.
Jones said two batches of community monitors have completed their assignments, while the latest group has worked for about two months awaiting payment.
But for Jones, monitoring is no longer enough.
“If you ask me what I want them to do, I would tell you to close the dumpsite,” he said, stressing that residents do not want the landfill to continue operating in the community.
He said residents remain open to discussions with the government but believe authorities have failed to follow through on commitments made to the community.
The Whein Town Landfill was established in 2011 as a temporary five-year emergency waste disposal site under the Emergency Monrovia Urban Sanitation (EMUS) Project, managed by the Monrovia City Corporation.
The facility was intended as an interim sanitary landfill to improve solid-waste collection and disposal in Monrovia and Paynesville.
Fifteen years later, however, it remains operational. Residents say the facility has far exceeded its intended lifespan and is now operating in a heavily degraded condition.
Mosquitoes, Flies and Water Concerns
Leon Miaway said mosquitoes have become particularly problematic in the community, especially during the evening.
He said residents often struggle to remain outdoors after 5 or 6 p.m. because of the mosquito population and rely on mosquito nets at night.
Miaway also cited an increase in flies, particularly during the rainy season, saying residents have difficulty eating outdoors without flies coming into contact with their food.
He expressed concern about water sources around the community, particularly following changes to the area where waste is being dumped.
According to Miaway, the new dumping area lacks adequate measures to contain liquid leaking from waste, which he believes has contributed to the pollution of water sources.
He said some residents now have to purchase water for drinking and cooking, adding to household expenses.
“Before you prepare any good food now, it means you have to spend more, even to buy water,” Miaway said.
Miaway also said malaria is common in the community and that children face additional risks when walking barefoot around areas affected by stagnant water.
He said residents have not seen government or humanitarian organizations regularly collecting household data or distributing mosquito nets and other supplies.
“It has been a long while, like, over two, three years now,” he said.
Residents Fear Retaliation
Miaway said residents have held meetings to discuss ways to push for the landfill’s closure but have been reluctant to organize direct confrontations with authorities.
He recalled previous protests in which residents blocked roads and some participants were arrested.
“We don’t want similar things to happen,” he said, adding that residents prefer their community leadership to advocate on their behalf.
Miaway also disputed claims that residents routinely use the landfill for open defecation, saying people living around the facility have access to their own latrines.
He questioned the enforcement of reported safety requirements requiring people entering the landfill to wear protective equipment.
Miaway said residents and some people working at the site can enter without masks or other protective gear.
‘They Are Still Dumping Every Day’
Princess Dennis, another resident, said families living near the landfill are increasingly concerned about illnesses they associate with conditions around the facility.
She cited malaria and other infections among illnesses residents experience and said children are particularly vulnerable.
Dennis said mosquito nets had previously been distributed in the community but did not reach all residents.
She alleged that during some distributions, the exercise stopped around the telecommunications junction, leaving residents in other parts of the community without nets.
But like other residents interviewed, Dennis said the primary demand is not for mosquito nets or other supplies but for the landfill to be closed or relocated.
“I’m upset about the dumpsite here,” she said, appealing to authorities to stop dumping waste at the site.
Dennis said waste continues to be dumped every day despite residents’ concerns.
She also operates a business along the road near the landfill and said the large number of flies affects her customers and forces her to cover her goods.
Water and Cost of Living
Dennis said access to safe water is another major concern.
She said some residents sometimes consume water they consider unsafe because they cannot afford alternatives.
“When we don’t get money, we can drink the water,” she said.
She appealed to the government and other organizations to improve access to safe water.
Amos Moore, called said residents of Whein Town feel betrayed by the Government. Moore said the government has failed to live up to its promise of closing the landfill since its five-year lifespan expired. “We are being used as sacrificial lambs,” he said. It is a shame that the government will unleash such suffering on a large group of its people.”
MCC: ‘Immediate, Aggressive Action’ Underway
In a statement, the Monrovia City Corporation said it is taking “immediate, aggressive action” to address technical challenges at Whein Town, acknowledging that the landfill “has outlived its usefulness” and that the rainy season has compounded the situation.
“The MCC considers the health concerns of the residents as a top priority; as such, we are constantly fumigating the facility and providing routine health care interventions to the residents,” the statement said.
The corporation added that mosquito nets have been distributed and that between March and April 2026, it conducted a free medical outreach for residents.
Addressing claims that garbage is being dumped directly on the ground, the MCC said it remains committed to responsible waste disposal and “would do nothing to endanger the health of the people of Whein Town.”
On the landfill’s future, the MCC said it is at an advanced stage of concluding a public-private partnership framework with a private-sector company for the joint management of the sanitary landfill.
A Community Seeking an End to Dumping
The residents’ accounts depict a community caught between immediate concerns over sanitation, water access and public health and a longer-standing demand for an end to landfill operations in the area.
While the MCC says it is taking measures to mitigate the facility’s challenges and is pursuing a new management arrangement, residents insist that temporary interventions are not enough.
For them, the central demand remains unchanged: close or relocate the landfill and end the dumping that they say has made life increasingly difficult in Whein Town.
Jaheim Tumu contributed to this story.
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