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Lagos State government has signed a $135 million (N85 billion) partnership agreement with a foreign firm as part of its new waste management policy.
The Guardian reports that the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare said the partnership is under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) and will last for four years.
He said the investment, which would kick off next year involved the deployment of over 600 Mercedes Benz compactors and the engagement of street sweepers in all wards in the state, while private sector operators would be restricted to handle commercial waste.
The Guardian reports that Adejare also stated that the new policy would involve closure of existing landfill sites, creation of transfer loading stations in local councils and deployment of over one million ultra-modern waste bins with censors to monitor their movement against theft.
He said this was aimed at introducing new technology into waste management in the state.
He stressed that the decision to contract waste management under a Public Private Participation (PPP) arrangement was because of the high cost which he said the state could not afford because of limited resources.
Under the reform, Adejare said three colour coded waste bags would be distributed to homes for different kinds of waste.
“The result of this new arrangement is that waste disposal will no longer be a challenge as efficient system will be on ground for effective management which will eventually eradicate cart pushers in the process,” he added.
On the recent cancellation of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, the commissioner said the decision would not have negative effect on the state but rather enhance business activities.
Adejare pointed out that it had been the position of the state government that Lagos should run a 24-hour economy to bring about prosperity to the people, stressing that it had become inappropriate to continue to restrict movement for three hours in a mega city.
Source: The Guardian