Asian Journal of Geographical Research

The rapid proliferation of automobile repair garages across Bamenda II Municipality, North West Region of Cameroon, driven by the growing fleet of ageing imported vehicles, inadequate technical control facilities and weak land-use enforcement, has generated substantial and largely unmanaged quantities of hazardous waste in a dense urban-residential fabric. This study investigated the characteristics of automobile garage waste production and the existing management practices in Bamenda II Municipality, and examined the geographical and community-level implications of current practices. Using a descriptive survey and case-study design, data were collected from 120 respondents, comprising garage owners, mechanics, apprentices, nearby residents, and municipal and environmental officials, through structured questionnaires, field observation, and semi-structured interviews administered over a four-week period in 13 garage-dense quarters of the municipality. Results show that used engine oil (18.7%), tyres (17.2%), oil filters and metal scraps (15.7% each) dominate the waste stream, with 71.6% of garages generating 5–50 litres of waste oil weekly and 66.7% disposing of fewer than 30 tyres monthly. Disposal practices are overwhelmingly unsound: 48.3% of engine oil is poured onto open ground or into drainage channels, 41.7% of tyres are openly burned, 77.1% of operators keep no waste records, and 78.4% of workers have never received any waste management training. With 71.1% of garages located near residential areas and 74.6% of these within 50 metres of the nearest dwelling, communities face chronic exposure to soil contamination, blocked drainage, and toxic air emissions, reflected in the 63.4% of respondents who reported soil pollution and the 70.6% of operators who reported receiving community complaints. Despite these failures, 90.8% of operators expressed strong interest in waste management training and 63.4% supported mandatory training, indicating significant latent potential for behaviour change. Framed within Ecological Modernisation Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the study concludes that closing the gap between this expressed willingness and actual practice requires coordinated investment in hazardous waste collection infrastructure, targeted operator training, financial incentives, and strengthened regulatory enforcement at the municipal and national levels.