…residents resort to burning
Residents of parts of Benin City appear to be on a collision course with agencies responsible for collection of household waste in the Edo State capital over alleged poor waste management practices.
The residents accuse the waste management agencies of collecting waste disposal fees from them without carting away their waste, even as household waste piles up.
But the waste management agencies say the problem is with landlords and their agents who refuse to cooperate with the waste managers.
Household waste, also known as domestic/residential waste, are forms of wastes generated by households and may include food waste, paper, glass, plastics, metals, textiles, etc.
In Benin City, household wastes are commonly disposed of in baskets or drums placed in a corner outside the building, while some residents erect a secured pavement at the side of the fence where waste can be discarded. From there, waste management agencies pick them up for proper disposal.
However, residents say the waste management agencies are not living up to their responsibilities.
“I pay N5,000 to the Oredo waste management services every month. As a caretaker, I do not know the policy with the landlord but I was told and issued a memo that the waste management people would come clear the waste once every month. Sometimes they come, but other times they take more than a month or two before they come. By then, the waste generated would have exceeded the big drum outside, littering over the place,” said a resident who pleaded anonymity.
Another Benin City resident, Mrs Joy Aduwa, also expressed her displeasure over the services rendered by the waste management agencies.
“We no longer pay for waste management services in my household. Yes, they refuse to show up at the agreed time. By then, we would have to burn the waste since it would have grown so much that it begins to stink and pollute everywhere,” Mrs Aduwa said.
“I don’t see myself paying for my dustbin to be cleared because so far, burning has been the most reliable method for me,” she said.
Mrs Aduwa further said that burning of waste has become a common practice around her area since the people had to look for an alternative way of disposing their household waste.
But while burning of waste might seem an easy way out, environmental experts point to the hazards of such practice. They say improper household waste disposal, including burning, not only affects the environment but also has negative impacts on health, wildlife/livestock conservation.
Mrs Melody Enyinnaya, a project officer, Waste Management, of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), said improper handling and disposal of waste can lead to severe environmental, health and socio-economic consequences.
“Majority of wastes generated and dumped in the dumpsites are mostly organic, residual, plastics and hazardous wastes,” Mrs Enyinnaya said while speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
She said that burning of waste is still a regular practice in Benin City, and this generates “greenhouse gases that give rise to climate change which is already telling in our weather condition”.
“The environment suffers tremendously as improperly disposed waste contaminated water bodies, polluted the air and degraded soil quality, leading to the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem disruption,” she said.
Mrs Enyinnaya also mentioned that some areas in the city suddenly become flooded at the slightest drop of rain due to the effects of plastic pollution that especially causes drain blockage.
A waste management agent who pleaded anonymity told The Nigerian Observer that there is a lack of cooperation on the part of many landlords and their agents towards a proper registration with waste management agencies allocated to their areas.
“One of the reasons why collection of waste has been a challenge on our part is the fact that many landlords and agents do not register their homes for the waste management under their local government,” the person said.
“And sometimes, there is also issue of late payment from the landlords/tenants. When your waste fee is paid on time, we’d be able to collect the waste when next we come around the following month. However, if it is paid late, then the waste will pile up,” he explained.
He also pointed to an ongoing tussle between private waste evacuators and government-operated evacuators over right to operate, as well as the issue of bad roads.
“Some roads are not good. In fact, some homes are located in very remote areas making it difficult to access and collect these wastes. Other times, our vehicles break down for days when we ply these bad roads,” he said.
