The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has set 1st April 2023, as
commencement date for placement of abatement notices on homes without
waste bins across the state, in a move aimed at ensuring proper waste
management and environmental hygiene in Lagos State.
Commenting on the development, Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Ibrahim
Odumboni, 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”.
He also warned that the enforcement of the use of waste bins by
tenements across the state would begin on 1st June, 2023, stressing
that, the agency has set up a task force responsible for ensuring
compliance in all homes.
“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,” he emphasised.
Odumboni urged residents to embrace the use of waste bins and make it a
habit to dispose of their waste in a responsible manner, calling 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 PSP operators.
Dr. Essien Nsuabia, Assistant General Manager, Sustainability and
Partnership, who moderated the training, spoke on “Overview and Policies
on Adopt-a-Bin”, emphasised that the initiative was aimed at ensuring
effective waste containerisation in homes, offices and other facilities.
Akin Alabi of WasteCare Solutions, explained that the smart bins could
be purchased online through the website, www.buylawmabin.com, adding
that deliveries would take three working days, once payment was
confirmed.
Other facilitators at the orientation programme included the head Legal
Services, Uthman Rilwan; the head of LAWMA Academy, Elizabeth Ademola;
the head of Recycling, Jirinsola Okunbanjo, and the head of Corporate
Affairs, Olaniyan Aramide. Senior LAWMA officials were also in
attendance.
