LAWMA targets June 1 for enforcement of waste bin usage

•Alimosho residents lament non evacuation of refuse heaps

Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has warned that enforcement of the use of waste bins by tenements across the state would begin on June 1, 2023, stressing that, the agency has set up a task force responsible for ensuring compliance in all homes.

Managing Director (MD) /Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LAWMA, Ibrahim Odumboni, disclosed this, after the agency commenced placement of abatement notices on homes without waste bins across the state in April.

Odumboni said the move aimed at ensuring proper waste management and environmental hygiene in Lagos State. He noted the importance of waste bins in homes for promoting a clean and healthy environment, adding that bins provided a designated space for domestic waste disposal, helping to prevent littering and indiscriminate dumping of refuse on streets.

He said: “Proper waste management is a key component of maintaining a clean and healthy environment. Waste bins provide a designated location for waste disposal, and this helps to prevent the spread of diseases and maintain a hygienic environment.

“We have set up a task force that will be responsible for enforcing the use of waste bins across the state. The task force will be working closely with community leaders, stakeholders and other relevant agencies to ensure compliance with the policy.”

Odumboni urged residents to embrace the use of waste bins and make it a habit to dispose of their waste in a responsible manner. He called on landlords and property owners to provide waste bins for their properties and ensure they are regularly emptied and maintained.

In a related development, LAWMA has organised an orientation programme for its enforcement and abatement notice teams, on standard rules and proper conduct while engaging tenements on the issue of procurement of smart waste bins, for their homes.

The Executive Director of Finance, Kunle Adebiyi, who represented the MD/CEO of LAWMA, at the event, emphasised the importance of the authority’s Adopt-a-Bin project, meant to curb waste migration, indiscriminate dumping, and to enhance waste recycling, while helping to reduce the amount of waste going to the landfills.

On his own part, LAWMA’s chief technical officer, Dr. Olorunwa Tijani, who spoke on the topic, “Bin Placement and Evacuation”, advised tenements to place their waste bins at strategic places to make them accessible for seamless evacuation by assigned Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators.

Assistant General Manager, Sustainability and Partnership, Dr. Essien Nsuabia, who moderated the training and spoke on “Overview and Policies on Adopt-a-Bin”, said the initiative was aimed at ensuring effective waste containerisation in homes, offices and other facilities.

MEANWHILE, residents in Alimosho Local Council of Lagos State have called on LAWMA to evacuate the heaps of refuse dotting their areas to prevent environmental disaster.

The residents in a ‘Save Our Soul’ message, also appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to direct LAWMA and/or PSP operators, to evacuate the refuse as soon as possible.

The affected streets in Alimosho include: Alhaji Sekoni Street, Modupe Ayoade, Araromi, Ajijola, Ogo Oluwa, Akiwowo, Akinwumi Ishola, Alimosho Road as well as Iyana Ipaja Market. According to the residents, the refuse may cause epidemic if not quickly evacuated in the area.

They lamented that it was now over three weeks that PSP operators had showed up to evacuate refuse in the area. Speaking with the newsmen, a man who identified himself as Mr. Ola, decried operations of PSP operators in the area as sham.

He said that despite increase in charges by LAWMA, the PSP operators do not remove their refuse at when due.

“Since last year, each of the flats in this area, pays N2,000.00 per month to PSP operators. That is to tell you that, some houses pay up to N10,000 monthly. It depends on the number of flats. They are supposed to evacuate our refuse, twice in a week, but it was the other way round.

“In fact, sometimes now, they come once in a month. The whole area is stinking.” Spokesperson for LAWMA, Mrs. Folashade Kadiri, said she will direct the assigned PSP to do the needful.