By Kemi Olatunde

To reduce the volume of waste on the median in Akure, the Ondo State Government has distributed communal waste bins in strategic areas.

The strategic areas include Oja Oba Market, Isinkan Market, Adedeji Park in Arakale, and the NEPA Car Park, among others.

The Commissioner for Environment, Mr Oyeniyi Oseni, while speaking during a monitoring exercise on the compliance with the use of the bins yesterday, stressed the need for residents to make good use of them.

He expressed concern about the rate at which illegal structures are erected along major roads and in car parks in the state capital, calling for their immediate removal.

At the Oja Oba Market, he emphasised the need for traders to ensure that others do not dump waste indiscriminately in the area, urging them to take care of the facility.

A meat seller at the market, who identified himself as Mr Yakubu, called for the prompt evacuation of waste from the bins to prevent air pollution among nearby traders.

Oyeniyi, who also inspected the Shasha Market, assured the community of the government’s readiness to clear the illegal dump site in the area to prevent disease outbreaks in the state.

He stressed the need for a sensitisation programme on compliance with the use of the waste bins, adding that the government would extend the initiative to other areas for effective waste management.

The Secretary of the Shasha community, Alhaji Amin Jubril, had earlier called on the government to assist the community in evacuating the dump site, noting that the community had been incapacitated in ensuring its removal due to the economic situation in the country.

The General Manager of the Ondo State Waste Management Authority (OSWMA), Mr Fola Omowole, criticised the lackadaisical attitude of traders towards maintaining a clean environment, especially at Oja Oba Market, noting that the drainage system is always littered with waste after daily waste evacuation.

He explained that the bins are provided for organised communities to ensure that people are responsible for their use.

He said that the authority has been ensuring the daily collection of waste from marketplaces and road corridors to reduce indiscriminate waste disposal.

He warned residents not to erect illegal structures in unacceptable places to avoid penalties for their removal.

“Illegal structures constitute an environmental nuisance. Structures should obtain full government approval before being erected. It is our duty to remove such structures in accordance with the law,” he said.