For residents and commuters in Lagos, finding a place to dispose of a plastic bottle or use a toilet while moving around the city is becoming an everyday challenge.

As the state grapples with waste management problems, residents are increasingly questioning the absence of public waste bins on major roads and the lack of toilet facilities in some clusters of shops and commercial areas.

Although commercial buildings and shops in Lagos are expected to provide basic sanitation facilities as part of approved building plans and environmental health requirements, residents say some newly established businesses operate without toilets.

The situation has also raised concerns about the state government’s approach to waste disposal, particularly its decision not to provide bins along streets and other public spaces.

A Lagos resident, Boluwatife Soyemi, recently shared her experience after deliberately holding on to her waste rather than littering.

“I did an experiment in Lagos today. Because I don’t like to litter, I decided to hold on to my trash until I found a dustbin,” she said.

According to her, she travelled from Ojuelegba to Berger without finding a single public waste bin.

“The result? I could only dispose of it properly once I got to my destination because I didn’t see a single dustbin all the way from Ojuelegba to Berger.

“We can talk about how we want to keep Lagos clean and how people have bad habits, but how are there no dustbins anywhere? And you expect people to have good disposal etiquette?”

Another resident, who identified herself simply as Roving, linked the absence of waste bins to a wider sanitation problem, particularly the shortage of public toilets.

“By the way, this applies to public toilets. As much as I despise seeing people pee by the road, I realised some don’t have any other options,” she said.

She recalled visiting a shop and asking to use the toilet, only to be told that the premises had none.

“An entire block of shops! I couldn’t ask where they use because the answer was obvious,” she said.

The concerns have revived memories of earlier efforts by successive Lagos administrations to improve waste disposal infrastructure.

During the tenure of former Governor Babatunde Fashola, between 2007 and 2015, the state introduced a structured waste management system that included the distribution of customised household wheeled bins and the deployment of specialised skip trucks. The initiative was aimed at reducing indiscriminate dumping of refuse on roads, medians and other public spaces.

The administration of former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode also introduced large waste bins, popularly known as “Dino bins”, in parts of the state. However, residents said many of the bins disappeared shortly after his administration left office.

The Lagos State Government, however, maintains that placing waste bins indiscriminately across the metropolis has not produced the desired results.

Speaking with The Guardian, Director of Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Kunle Adesina, said residents should take responsibility for the waste they generate while in transit.

“If you eat anything, you have to keep the waste in your bag and dispose of it at home. If you are driving, put the trash in your car and dispose of it at home,” he said.

Adesina added that passengers who generate waste on public buses could keep it there until the vehicle reaches its destination, where the driver or operator could dispose of it properly.

He said the government had previously provided waste bins in public spaces but that the initiative was undermined by indiscriminate dumping and vandalism.

Adesina argued that residents should change their attitude towards waste disposal rather than depend solely on public bins.

“People don’t litter the streets overseas, so Nigerians should also not dispose of waste indiscriminately,” he said.

Asked why the government was not considering reintroducing public waste bins, Adesina said it was not part of the state’s current policy.