There has been a massive drop in all erstwhile overfull waste dumps for garbage and other waste items across thickly populated areas of Lagos since October when economic recession started biting harder in the country, Business Hilights can authoritatively report.
Before the advent of recession, waste dump bins for residential compounds and major public places had always been full with more heaps littering around the sites, But periodic visits by our correspondents in the last one month of study showed serious drop in food wastes, cellophane bags for wrapping food items and waste cartons of electronic devices which hitherto form majority of wastes at the dumps.
Analysis of questionnaires shared among compounds in select zones of Lagos Island, Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Ojo, Festac town, Oshodi, Agege, Lekki phase 1, Ikeja and Obalende showed that families agreed that the drop was due to high cost of food items and daily needs occasioned by the joint attack of recession and inflation.
Further analysis indicate that families are now cutting costs in food items and are rationing available food items with high sense of waste reduction.
The report was further corroborated by some LAWMA truck PSP operators who agreed that unlike earlier in the year when they used to cover a demarcated areas in three straight days due to volume of wastes, since October, what we used to cover in three days we now cover same and more in one day and record time.
The drop in waste items at dump sites according to experts is a reflection of drop in the value of naira which ordinarily enables residents to buy what they like and drop the associated waste in bins.
A market woman who bared her mind with our correspondent has this to say: “The economic recession is hitting people hard and number of people buying items for their families is reducing daily.
“People are not coming in as before to buy volumes of items which will warrant wrapping this and wrapping that. They just come to buy few things and manage same for their families. Majority of people that patronize us in this market are always bitter when paying for what they have bought due to the rise in prices.
