ENVIRONMENTALIST FAULTS HOUSE TO HOUSE WASTE COLLECTION IN ANAMBRA
REPORTER: UCHE NDEKE
An Environmental Expert, Miss Mmachukwu Obimdike, has appealed to the Anambra State Government to urgently reconsider its decision on House to House refuse evacuation, saying the policy is not yielding the desired result.
Miss Obimdike made the call when she led other sanitation volunteers to evacuate refuse from some streets in Awka to mark World Clean Up Day.
According to Miss Obimdike, there is the need to sensitize the people to the importance of having a clean environment as up to one 190 countries across the world celebrate the Clean Up Day.
She commended Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo for striving to put in place a clean, healthy , prosperous mega liveable city, which is in line with the global practice.
Miss Obimdike, however, faulted the idea of trucks going from house to house to evacuate wastes saying the exercise had caused the streets to be littered with refuse bags.
She noted that there was no way truck would station at one point and expect people living inside the streets to carry waste and be running after the vehicles.
She therefore called on government to look into the development as the idea of clean environment may be defeated if the Waste Compactor Trucks do not embark on House to House evacuation as directed by the government.
Another Environmental Expert, Mr. Ernest Ozue observed that though the new policy had improved waste collection in some areas, there was need for government to consider establishing plants for recycling of nylon and polythene bags, which was a major challenge to environmental cleanliness.
Mr. Ozue said government could also pay people to pick the nylon and polythene bags for recycling, which would in turn be used by local manufacturing companies.
Meanwhile, the Anambra State Government had closed all the dump sites in the area saying it had directed a house to house evacuation of refuse in the area.
The International Clean Up Day is marked every September 17 with the aim to unite volunteers and partners worldwide to rid the planet of thrash.
Since 2018, the World Clean Up Day has brought together millions of people for the biggest waste collection exercise in human history.
EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU
