In the past few weeks, some residents have got the abatement notice of Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) for failure to have LAWMA’s prescribed dustbin in their premises.
  
In the notice signed by the immediate past Managing Director of LAWMA, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, the agency accused residents of contravening Section 83 of the state Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017, which stipulates that: “Every owner or occupier of tenement shall provide covered waste receptacles outside the tenement to be used for depositing waste and the authority may inform in writing such owner or occupier of the prescribed receptacle.”
 
In the notice also, LAWMA demanded that residents should, with immediate effect, provide an appropriate covered plastic waste bin of 240L volume capacity as prescribed by LAWMA outside their premises in compliance with the law to avoid the imposition of penalties.
  
It added that residents served the notice are expected to comply within two months from the day of receipt or risk the imposition of appropriate penalty.
  
In the last paragraph of the notice, LAWMA provided phone details of its customer care line through which residents could out to purchase the prescribed bins.
  
However, some residents have raised highbrows with the LAWMA directive. A number of residents who complained to The Guardian revealed that they have covered dustbins, though not the one prescribed by LAWMA.

And residents who have taken steps to comply with the order of buying the prescribed dustbins have expressed surprise that LAWMA is issuing an order for a private company. They added that when they reached out to LAWMA through the phone numbers on the abatement notice claiming to be its customer care lines, the persons who picked the calls provided account details of a private company.
 
So, rather than focusing and delivering on its mandate of proper waste management, the agency has gone into what a resident termed unholy alliance with a private company to enforce monopoly and extort residents through the sale of the dustbin, as the rate it provides is far higher than the market price. 
  
As a result of the monopoly created by LAWMA, the prescribed dustbin, which is being sold for between N30,000 and N35,000 from market survey is being offered for N50,000 to residents by the private company through LAWMA. This implies that there is a 40 per cent increment in the price offer by LAWMA compared with the market price.
 
Specifically, one of the residents in Mushin Local Council, who simply gave his name as Sunday, where the abatement notice has been served, said that though the notice provided four contraventions, only one of the boxes was ticked, which was about not having the prescribed standard waste bin.  He said that his residence was not accused of contravening inadequate waste bin, damaged waste bin and inappropriate placement or use of bin.
 
However, when The Guardian went through the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017, the Section 83 (1) cited by LAWMA in his abatement notice was about the use of Sanitary litter bins,
 and it stated that “No pedestrian shall dispose of any scrap paper, newspaper, candy wrapper, fruit skin and similar refuse anywhere except in litter bins.”
  
The section that deals with the law LAWMA was enforcing was Section 48:(6), which states: “Every receptacle used for the storage and removal of construction waste may be placed on a verge if:
(a)  the name, address and telephone number of the person in control of that receptacle is clearly on it; 

(b)  it is fitted with reflective materials, which must completely outline the front and the back thereof; and 

(c)  it is covered at all times other than when actually receiving, waste or being emptied of, waste so that no displacement of its contents can occur. 

 
To verify the claims made by some residents, The Guardian called one of the phone numbers on the abatement notice, one Monisola Odewole picked the call and she said the dustbin cost N50,000 and delivery N1500.
 
To make payment, she promised to send the account details and after payment, she asked that the receipt of payment with the name and address of the person the item is to be delivered to, be sent to her via Whatsapp.
  
Minutes after the discussion, she sent a text message containing the following information: “Kindly pay for LAWMA Waste Bin @N50,000 per unit into FCMB account No: 4497011032, delivery cost N1500, account name:- WasteCare Solutions/Buy LAWMA Bin, and send evidence of payment to Monisola 08184231609, attached with full name, full address, phone number. Note: Your payment proof validates your order, thank you.”
 
A resident on Olusegun Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, who simply gave his name as Baba Dami, said that LAWMA has not brought the abatement notice to his residence for the prescribed dustbin.
  
He, however, said that LAWMA has not been performing its duties in terms of waste evacuation, disclosing that for about two months, PSP operators have not visited his street to evacuate refuse.
  
According to him, there was a disagreement about LAWMA levy, which has increased over time from N100 and now to N900 per room, which the residents on the street kicked against 
 
“We got confused and decided to stop paying, because from our findings of what is obtainable in other local councils, occupants of single rooms were paying N300 per month.”
  
Also speaking, a resident of Bello Street, Ejigbo, Mrs. Agatha Nwachinemerem, said that she stopped patronising LAWMA agent within her area because their services have been less than satisfactory. She said that the PSP operator rarely come to collect the residents waste, but is usually quick to come forward to demand waste collection levy. She said when confronted, the LAWMA agent usually gives excuses.
 
Nwachinemerem said that she had since resorted to making use of cart pushers who also operated at a fee, although more expensive compared with the LAWMA rate.
  
“I had to pick that choice because I was always waiting for the LAWMA agents, who show up late, a situation that could lead to pollution of the environment.  She also said that her residence has not been notified about the need to buy the motorised dustbin. 
 
She, however, said that it should not be about introducing new waste bins but putting measures in place to ensure the smooth and successful running of operations, especially evacuation of refuse.
 
It was observed that LAWMA has been talking about the importance of residents having covered dustbins in their houses since 2021. Sometimes in early 2022, Odumboni stressed that owning a waste bin would become mandatory for all tenements, from October 1, 2022.
 
He said: “Start separating your waste from source, there is value in doing that. We are encouraging sorting of waste from source in all households. From October 1, this year, every household must own a waste bin. We will start placing abatement notices on houses and will start the full enforcement in January next year.”
  
This year, again, LAWMA warned that the 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.
   
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 was aimed at ensuring proper waste management and environmental hygiene in Lagos state. He stressed 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 helpsto 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.