Lagos State Government has announced a total ban on the operations of cart pushers and wheel barrow operators in the State, saying that their activities were inimical to the environmental cleanliness in the State.
In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tunji Bello, the State Government said that with the flag off of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI), the continuous activities of cart pushers will pose a threat to the success of the initiative.
Bello said that investigations had also revealed that the cart pushers are responsible for most of the illegal dumping of waste in canals and road medians at night which causes flooding, adding that aside constituting environmental nuisance, they were also traces of security threats.
“What the State Government has discovered is that these set of people use the night to perpetrate all sorts of dastardly acts. They dump refuse indiscriminately on the median of major roads and highways. They also pose serious security threats because they use those carts to hide arms and ammunitions and hide under the guise of carrying refuse to rob unsuspecting residents”, the SSG said.
He said the State Government has finalised plans to ensure that the CLI would cover every area of the State and ensure that refuse are well packed and collected, urging residents to desist from patronising them or risk prosecution.
Meanwhile, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions, announced the opening of the Tapa Transfer Loading Station (TLS) in Lagos. The new facility located in Lagos Island will serve as one of many hubs strategically located throughout the State that will enable Visionscape temporarily deposit collected waste from within city limits to be transported in bulk to the landfills after processing. The Tapa TLS is the first completed TLS as the company is currently renovating other stations in Mushin, Agege and Oshodi as part of its mandate to provide integrated waste management solutions for the treatment of municipal solid waste and wastewater under the Cleaner Lagos Initiative.
“Transfer Loading Stations are the unsung heroes in the waste management supply-chain; they’re fundamental in driving efficiency into waste collection and transportation services. The TLS will serve as the middleman between waste collection vehicles and the final disposal facilities,” stated Mr. Thomas Forgacs, Visionscape, COO.
During a tour of the facility, the CLI assured Lagos residents of timely collection and disposal of the tonnes of domestic solid waste generated daily in the state. The transfer stations will receive approximately 6,700 tons of waste a day. The facilities will feature a central tipping bay, a waste reception bay, administrative buildings and waste processing and
“The Cleaner Lagos Initiative is creating an enabling environment. Before now, there was only a focus on disposal and no system to support the waste beyond collection. The collection is the beginning of the cycle, and the CLI is providing a world class sanitation structure that includes mechanized sweeping by trained community sanitation workers, transfer loading stations, sorting and recycling, innovative waste bins, regular waste collection and more. We are pleased to inform you that the work which has been going on over the past 15 months is rolling out now.”, said SWM Solutions Executive Director, Tolagbe Martins.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment, Mr. Abiodun Bamgboye also added, “Visionscape have proven their commitment to developing and implementing advanced processes in solid waste and wastewater management operations by disrupting the market with an innovative approach. Their state-of-the-art TLS’s will be a game changer in our sector.”
The CLI was established to address, enforce and regulate the challenges in the solid waste management systems within Lagos State. The initiative focuses on the environmental remediation and fulfilling the State’s commitments to Sustainable Development Goals.
– Marc Philips
