As rainy season would go, this years
has been none the worse than others that I have experienced. What as been a new
experience however was the picture presented to me of people of all types-civil
servants, business people and “fine girls” in certain areas having to pull on
their wellington boots in order to go from one street to the other or indeed
jto literally swim through knee deep water to get to their front doors.
The
situation was not much better in parts of even traditionally regarded better
living areas of Lagos such as Victoria Island and Ikoyi. Research into causes
of the perennial floods that engulf our neighborhoods and roads on a yearly
basis ,point to the presence of either inadequate drainages or overflowing
gutters and drains. These gutters and drains in their turn usually lost
functionality after being clogged by dirt and waste material constituted mostly
of plastic/polythene material.
A material too I have observed which
has been a major pollutant of our water ways. A fine example of that being
found of the waters of the Atlantic on either side as you cross going to or
from Lekki, the little bridge between Bonny Camp and Round about bus stops on
the island. Thus it would appear solving Lagos polythene waste problem might in
more ways than one contribute to the environmental sanitation and
sustainability drive of the government. How to do this.
Previously government had proposed a
venture wherein manufacturers of sachet and bottled water can collect these
waste items from designated locations from a public that had deposited them
there and thus possibly recycle them for reuse while at the same time ensuring
they don’t end up polluting the environment. I lose track of the specifics.
Again there was the plastic waste buy back programme , a programme which I have
since come to learn has many of the hallmarks I will present in this
paper)Nevertheless what is obvious is that it never took off nor it appeared
was there an economically viable incentive to make it worthwhile for
individuals to participate therein.
In view of this what I propose is
first and foremost a law that would mandate all makers of sachet and bottled
water to include no less than 40% recycled polythene materials in their
products packaging material. This will first of all create a demand for such
recycled material. Nigerians are not lazy. We are extremely industrious. Next
thing it would do is “ginger” individuals whether as free lance collectors,
partnerships or companies to search for this type of waste material in lieu of
either recycling them or selling them off to said water companies. At the same
time there will be agents or government workers whose primary job amongst
others would be to ensure that such materials are genuinely of waste origin.
Note that priority is to be given to
collectors collecting from the most polluted or environmentally sensitive areas
of the state such as Ajegunle, Amukoko, Badia, Bariga, Ijeshatedo/Itire, Iwaya,
Makoko, Agege and Olasosun etc and our water ways. A reward system of note can
equally be devised as a further incentive to do this. For example assuming a
collector is entitled to N5/bottle on his waste bottles, those that collect
from areas that fall into these categories will be entitled to say N6/bottle
instead. Secondarily and most importantly regulating officials will issue a
ticket to these independent collectors who in turn will show such to companies
they are selling the materials to. These officials can be created as a division
of LAWMA. LAWMA itself can take part in the exercise.
They can do this by insisting that
people especially commercial establishments-shops, restaurants, hotels etc
provide two dustbins-one specifically for polythene materials and one for
“others”. These materials can then be recycled in like manner**. However note
that selling price by LAWMA to companies should be higher so as not to work
against the interest of independent collectors. As part of a wider government
effort government can move further in the direction of recycling by extending
this mandate to all Lagos households. In this case though there can be a
further dustbin for just food and like materials, which materials are to
eventually be utilized in fertilizer production (I recently learnt that LAWMA
does actually recycle some of the waste they collect at several centers in
Lagos, deriving fertilizer from such. However this is not done on the basis of
the two/three waste bin per house format).
In fact in most slums of the
developing world today recycling is a way of life. The Dharavi slum in Mumbai
has 400 recycling units and 30,000 rag pickers. Six thousand tons of rubbish
are sorted every day. In 2007, the Economist reported that in Vietnam and
Mozambique, “Waves of gleaners sift the sweepings of Hanoi’s streets, just as
Mozambiquan children pick over the rubbish of Maputo’s main tip. Every city in
Asia and Latin America has an industry based on gathering up old cardboard
boxes.” There’s even a book on the subject: The World’s Scavengers (2007) by
Martin Medina . Again LAWMA or private organizations working with LAWMA can
also look to generate bio-gas from waste for the purpose of power production ,
a thing sorely needed in Lagos due to its highly industrialized nature, and in
Nigeria as a whole. As we look to decrease our dependence on oil and find more
clean fuels, this should be taken as a viable complimentary energy source.
The good thing about these ideas for
recycling and the enforcement of Lagos state sanitation laws is that not only
does Lagos stand to eventually wear a cleaner and healthier look at all times
of the day, help decrease the incidence of flooding, raise some self financing
funds for the participating LAWMA, create employment opportunities for hundreds
of currently jobless youth in our society today, is adoptable by other states
of the federation but that it can actually work. It is actually doable and
relative to these benefits, would probably not cost the Lagos state government
much to set up. In view of this fact I urge that government and all other
relevant stake holders concerned with the environmental management of Lagos and
its general well being consider fully and effectuate the ideas contained in
this paper.