Lagos residents on Wednesday decried the heaps of refuse on some major roads around the state without prompt evacuation by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).
The residents also lamented the indiscriminate dumping of refuse by Lagosians on the roads. In a separate interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), some residents also faulted LAWMA for the delay in evacuating the refuse in their homes.
NAN reports that indiscriminate waste disposal is a common issue in many cities, including Lagos. It can lead to environmental pollution, health hazards, and other negative impacts.
A businesswoman, Ibukun Cole, while speaking to NAN, said that residents can avoid littering and dispose of waste properly.
“I think we really need to be enlightened more on the dangers of improper waste disposal.
“It will interest you to know that some people even dispose waste in the gutters especially when it rains.
“I feel there should be a form of community clean-up and awareness programmes in every area to ensure people know the dangers of indiscriminate refuse dump,” she said.
Cole also urged LAWMA to be prompt in evacuating waste, to remove heaps of refuse all over the state. A resident in the Agege area of Lagos state, Shina Ibrahim, told NAN that LAWMA was not doing enough to evacuate the heaps of refuse in the area.
“Refuse dumps are being scattered all over the area and even in our homes, LAWMA does not come regularly as they should.
“Sometimes, they only come once in a month which should not be so. We need them to regularly show up so that there won’t be heaps of refuse.”
He also urged the government to improve on its waste management infrastructure and services.
Another resident who lives in the Igando area of the state, Tosin Ogundairo, faulted LAWMA over its inability to promptly evacuate refuse within the area. The computer engineer told NAN that residents should take advantage of waste management services and designated bin collection points, rather than indiscriminately dumping refuse.
“I think LAWMA should increase resources or request for additional funding, equipment, and personnel to enhance waste management operations.
“They should also implement efficient collection systems or adapt technology-enabled waste collection systems and optimise routes to reduce collection time,” he added.
A resident in the Mushin area of the state, Olamide Johnson, told NAN that the Private Sector Participant (PSP) operators engaged by LAWMA no longer come to their area to pick refuse. Johnson added that they dispose of their refuse on the roads at midnight.
“This has become a cause for concern in the area and we appeal to the government and LAWMA to curb the menace,” he stated.
Reacting, the National President of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, Olugbenga Adebola, encouraged tenements across the country, particularly in Lagos state, to patronise PSP operators assigned to their areas for seamless waste evacuation.
Adebola disclosed this in an interview with NAN against the backdrop of complaints of residents alleging the absence of PSP operators in the regular evacuation of their wastes. He said that such issues are locational, not generalised.
According to him, tenements who pay for their waste have the right to call on their PSP operators and the appropriate authorities when they experience gaps in refuse disposal in their area.
“Many tenements don’t pay for their wastes thus cultivating the habit of indiscriminate waste disposal and this is posing great environmental danger to the environment.
“If you pay, then you can call the attention of government or your PSP directly to say
“I have not seen my PSP, and because many people do not pay, that is why they are dodging, that is why they will continue to litter the area, and it is only through enforcement that they come alive to their duty.
“Waste has stopped being a social service to what we call a quasi-social service, which means he who pollutes the environment must pay for the evacuation of that pollution, that is to say that anyone who generates wastes from Lagos must pay for the evacuation of that waste and a lot of people are dodging right now.
“Maybe because of economic situation and the PSP is not a charitable organisation, it is not a Father Christmas, it’s he who pays the PSP that the PSP wants to service,” Adebola noted.
A General Physician, Dr Tunji Akintade, said that indiscriminate disposal of waste was detrimental to health, leading to the spread of diseases, contamination of water sources, and air pollution.
Akintade noted that the practice had assumed an alarming proportion resulting in disease outbreaks, which have severe consequences for individuals, families, communities, and the health system.
According to him, the country is battling a cholera outbreak among other diseases as a consequence of an unhygienic environment. He called for collaborative efforts toward ensuring a clean and healthy environment.
