LAWMA urged Lagosians to stop patronizing Cart Pushers but signed up with the PSPs for their refuse disposals.
The Managing Director, LAWMA, Ibrahim Odumboni, spoke on Wednesday in Lagos during a news conference on the activities of the agency from January till date.
He spoke about the recent challenges, solutions, as well as sustainability measures that had been put in place.
Mr Odumboni said the rising cost of operation, the cost of overheads, majorly diesel and spare parts for the trucks that waste managers used for evacuation of wastes, had warranted the increment.
He said that with these realities, a tariff review was under consideration and the upward price review of about 50 per cent would begin October 1.
The LAWMA boss said that from 1 September, there would be an extensive and consultative review of the tariffs, to meet the rising cost of operations.
He said though Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration planned to support the Private Sector Participants (PSP) in the waste disposal system in the state with fuel subsidy, the review of waste disposal tariff had become imperative.
Mr Odumboni said that poor attitude to waste management, heavy rains and particularly the recent cost of diesel posed huge challenges to the cost of operation
According to him, the PSP operators and residents’ associations will be allowed to fix increase in tariff for domestic waste, which LAWMA has pegged at 50 per cent maximum.
“PSP, CDA/CDC and LAWMA will take part in the review process, we want to appeal to tenements, the quicker we resolve this the better it will be for us in terms of the percentage increase.
“In some cases, it might be lesser than that because waste is dependent on your individual lifestyles.
We want all Lagosians to have a sense of belonging and not disenfranchise anyone that is why the Lagos State Government has subsidized the price of Diesel so that we won’t over charge Lagosians.
“For areas that are not motorable and are in the hinterlands, we are partnering with some Companies to get us Tricycles that we can use to get to the unmotorable areas and hinterlands to evacuate their refuse”.
He however urged Lagosians to stop patronizing Cart Pushers but signed up with the PSPs for their refuse disposals.
He added that as regards rehabilitation of Landfills, the Olusosun, Badagry, Ikorodu and Epe Landfills are working perfectly well now and have capacity to tip 120 in an hour.
He said that LAWMA is working on making Olusosun Dumpsite become a Waste to Energy for the economic development for the State, just like the LAWMA Medical Waste Management in Ibeju Lekki and Odogunyan.
In his remarks, the Chairman, Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAMN), David Oriyomi, assured residents that with the support of the state government, efforts would be harmonised to address the prevailing challenges.
Mr Oriyomi said that the prevailing challenges were those relating to exchange rate and rising diesel price, which had informed high cost of operation.
