How residents, waste collectors engage in indiscriminate refuse dumping

Indiscriminate disposal of refuse within Awka, the Anambra State capital, and its environs has continued to pose a source of worry to both residents and visitors in view of the serious danger and health implications it poses. 
Despite calls by government and other stakeholders on proper disposal of refuse at the approved and designated places where bins have been provided, many residents, including tipper drivers and private waste collectors have insisted on littering the state capital with refuse.
Even when the waste bins provided are yet to be filled, refuse heaps could be seen dumped outside the bins, as residents dispose their waste any how, thereby making the entire environment unhealthy and an eyesore.    
It is more worrisome when these indiscriminate refuse dumps are seen dotting the major streets of the town and around public institutions like government offices, hospitals, schools, markets and worship centres.
While government blames residents over their refusal to use the waste bins, the people on their part accuse the Anambra State Waste Management Agency (ASWAMA), the body responsible for refuse disposal, of insensitivity and inconsistency to their duty.
 At the Muslim community in the territory, for example, the heap of refuse at the entrance is so nauseating with odour coming from it.
The Secretary, Sarki Palace, Alhaji Bello Maigari, in a chat with Daily Trust, described as an eyesore the heap of refuse at the entrance of the community which houses hundreds of Hausas including the office of the sarki (leader).
He said it would take the agency two trips a day to dispose the refuse that is piledup at the community on daily basis in view of the number of people living within it.
“The number of people living within the community is so large that if the refuse is not evacuated before the end of each day, you will be amazed at the size of the dumpby the following day,” he said.
Alhaji Bello, who is also chairman, Amansea Cattle market, said efforts to compile the statistics of the residents of the area in order to write to the concerned authorities were unsuccessful as some of them were uncooperative.
While appealing to the relevant authorities to come to their aid, he called for the cooperation of the members of the community to ensure the continuous cleanliness of the area.
 Another resident living close to the Nigerian Prisons Service, where one of the waste bins is located, said the relevant government agency had not demonstrated seriousness to their assignment as far as refuse disposal was concerned.
However, the Managing Director of the Anambra State Waste Management Agency (ASWAMA), Philip Chiwuba, said poor attitude of the residents towards refuse disposal was one of the challenges confronting the agency.
He stressed the need for regular public enlightenment on the proper packaging and disposal of refuse which, he said, the agency had been doing through the media.
Chiwuba explained that the state government had provided receptacles and other equipment for refuse disposal, and warned the citizenry against indiscriminate dumping of refuse in view of its health implications.