Lagos scavengers to pay levies to govt
The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), on Wednesday, said that waste scavengers were stealing government’s raw materials and would begin to pay levies.
The Executive Chairman of LAWMA, Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejokun, said in Lagos that wastes were resources for the state, which scavengers stole daily.
“Scavengers must pay to the government purse because they make money from whatever they collect across dump sites.
“What we call waste is no more waste; they are raw materials. Papers, plastic, iron, nylon and other things scavengers gather across the state must attract levies.
“So, all these scavengers must register to make revenue for the government. They are stealing government’s raw materials. Every scavenger must pay. We must generate money for government,” he said.
According to him, authority is guided by 3Rs-Reuse, Recycle and Reduce in the management of wastes, and it would not relent in its efforts to manage wastes in the state.
“If we don’t reduce the amount of waste we generate, one day, there will be a problem. But if we recycle and reuse, we will ask for more waste,” he said.
The LAWMA chief said that the management had brought in innovations into the system such as waste categorisation and separation, for easy waste collection by PSP operators.
