The Lagos State government says it is building more waste transfer loading stations across the state as part of strategies for tackling the challenges posed by waste collection and disposal.
About eight months ago, the state government launched the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) and engaged Visionsacpe Sanitation Solution, an international waste management expert, to manage the over 20,000 metric tons of waste generated in the state on daily basis.
But the city has not been any better as a turn in every corner of the state confronts one with heaps of decaying garbage that should, but have not been collected and disposed for weeks running into months.
Various explanations have been offered at any given opportunity by the authorities of both the state government and those of the waste management firm . Adebola Shabi, the special adviser to Akinwunmi Ambode, the state governor, on CLI, explained at the weekend that long distance and inadequate number of existing transfer loading stations had been a major challenge.
Shabi announced that the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota had been shut down by the state government following the fire incident at the dumpsite. This has been a major environmental problem to people living in that part of town who have had to contend with the billowing smoke and putrid ordour.
He explained further that the state government decided to build more transfer loading stations because some of the trucks used by the waste collectors were too weak to travel longer distances to dispose waste, adding that there was also the traffic challenge which impacted on their turnaround time.
“This is the reason we have decided to build more transfer loading stations so that waste generated in Lagos Island, Surulere and Apapa, for instance, could be disposed at a place close to the three areas. The same for waste generated at Agege, Ifako and Ijaiye that could be collected and deposited at Agege loading station”, he assured.
The special adviser pointed out that the waste so collected were to be segregated such that 60 percent would go to the landfill while 40 percent would be recycled for other uses. He appealed to the residents of the state to bear with the government as it continued to work towards making sure that the heaps of garbage that littered the state were evacuated “in the next few weeks”.
“We are all stakeholders in the Lagos project; let us join hands to ensure that we have a truly cleaner Lagos; people should not dump their waste in canals or drainages”, he appealed, assuring that the state government was determined to “create a clean, safe and mega-city”.
Shabi revealed that Visionscape would soon take delivery of more trucks to enhance its performance in refuse collection and disposal, recalling that the firm had distributed over eight million garbage bags and over 400,000 garbage bins and more would be distributed in due course.
In a related development, he announced plan by the state government in conjunction with Visionscape to set up 57 plastic collection centres in the 57 local government areas and local council Development Authorities of the state.
“These centre will serve two purposes. they will create jobs and also contribute to the environmental cleaning efforts of the state government”, he said, appealing to residents of the state not to through disused plastic containers into the canal or drainages anymore.
CHUKA UROKO
