Despite massive advocacy campaigns by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority to sensitise residents on the tenets of effective waste management and proper waste disposal, to achieve a cleaner and healthier environment, motor parks operate without waste collection facilities, forcing commuters to engage in indiscriminate dumping of refuse. SODIQ OJUROUNGBE reports
In the busy city of Lagos, where the struggle for survival is prioritised above all, lies a troubling situation that transcends the bounds of individual motor parks. Stretching from the crowded expanse of Iyana-Iba to the hubbub of Mile 2 and other major motor parks, the absence of waste bins has transformed these public spaces into desolate dumping grounds, painting a picture of neglect that hunts the city’s important areas.
Motor parks which serve as important transit points for thousands of commuters, now pose an insidious threat to the well-being of all who traverse these spaces due to lack of waste management infrastructure.
Lagos continues to produce a large quantity of waste without adequate mechanisms for managing it.
Walking through these public spaces, plastic bottles, food wrappers, and discarded newspapers were scattered haphazardly across the landscapes. The strong stench of decaying garbage intertwined with the fumes of idling vehicles, creating an oppressive atmosphere that clung to the crowded spaces like an unwelcome veil.
Findings by PUNCH Healthwise showed that despite these parks being the lifeblood of Lagos’ transportation network, they have also become a breeding ground for filth, disease, and neglect.
When our correspondent visited major motor parks including Obalende, Mile 2, Iyana-Oba, Oshodi, Iyana-Ipaja, Agege, Berger, Iyana-Oworo, Ojota, and Ketu, it was discovered that the absence of proper waste disposal infrastructure is a ticking time bomb which threatened the health and well-being of millions of commuters who pass through these garages daily.
Systemic gaps
The Lagos State Government, through LAWMA, has repeatedly assured the public of its commitment to maintaining a cleaner city. In 2022, the agency announced plans to increase the deployment of waste bins in public spaces, including motor parks. However, three years later, these waste disposals are still missing in many of the major motor parks across the state.
The LAWMA Managing Director, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, had during a recent stakeholders’ interactive forum revealed that the agency oversees waste transportation and treatment through partnerships with 420 PSPs, adding that the efforts were supplemented by sweeping services across major streets, managed by 16,361 street sweepers.
Annually, Lagos produces an estimated 5.46 million tonnes of waste with only about 40 per cent of what was generated collected and disposed of properly, while 60 per cent litter the streets and public spaces.
Despite the staggering figure of waste generated in the state daily, PUNCH Healthwise investigation revealed that the infrastructure to manage such a volume remains woefully inadequate, particularly in public spaces like motor parks.
During visits to some of the major motor parks in the state, our correspondent found out that there was no evidence of waste bins or regular waste collection. Instead, commuters and vendors continued to dump trash in gutters, on sidewalks, and in any available corner.
It was observed that hawkers selling food, beverages, and other goods to passengers contributed to the accumulation of waste. With nowhere to properly dispose of their trash, commuters and vendors resort to throwing waste onto the ground or into nearby drains.
While waste collection efforts had improved in some residential areas, PUNCH Healthwise discovered that public spaces like motor parks remained a challenge.
Different parks, similar problems
From Mile 2 to Iyana-Oba, Iyana-Ipaja to Agege, Obalende to Iyana-Oworo, and Ketu to Ojota, the story was the same. It was discovered that there was a trail of filth, neglect, and disregard for the environment in these motor parks.
Park after park, our correspondent observed that trash littered the ground, and gutters were clogged.
When PUNCH Healthwise visited Mile 2 motor park on January 21, it was discovered that the park was a mess, with trash littering every available surface. Not a single waste bin was found, leaving commuters and drivers to toss their trash on the ground.
It was observed that the gutters just by the Mile 2- Badagry expressway were clogged with dirt and trash, creating a breeding ground for disease-carrying pests.
It was also observed that drivers and traders burned their trash in makeshift fires, creating a haze of smoke that hung over the park like a pall.
The park’s leaders seemed unconcerned, more focused on the daily grind of transporting passengers than maintaining a clean and healthy environment.One of the drivers simply identified as Jamiu told our correspondent that they had to burn some of their waste daily, a practice that was not only harmful to the environment but also a health hazard for the commuters.
He said in Yoruba, “This is the only way we can reduce the waste here. You know this is a big park and keeping this waste can be dangerous. So, we decided to always burn them every evening so that we don’t have a pile-up of waste.
“Sweepers used to come here, but still we can’t control how people just throw waste here. If we had a waste bin, maybe it would have been a different ball game entirely.”
At Masamasa and Festac gates, it was observed that the parks there do not have waste bins as well. People were seen burning some of the dirt just like they did in Mile 2.
One of the traders at the park said, “We use cart pushers because we don’t really see LAWMA people on time. And for some of us, we just burned that dirt at night so that we don’t have a problem with the union people here.
“The union doesn’t want us to litter the environment and that is why they always want everywhere to be clean at least during the start of the day.”
It was also observed that some cart pushers come around to pick up some of the dirt and take it to an illegal dumping site around Peace Park in Festac where they dispose of it, and remove plastic bottles which they will sell before burning the ones that are not useful.
Our correspondent who toured the length of Mile 2 to Alakija saw more than four illegal dump sites where plastic bottles were removed and repackaged for selling, while other wastes were burned.
At Iyana-Oba, Agege, Ketu, Berger and Iyana-Ipaja motor parks, the situation was the same, there were no single waste bins, and the environment was littered with dirt and debris.
Plastic bottles and nylon bags covered the pavements, and food vendors, unable to find proper disposal points, resorted to dumping leftovers in gutters.
Also, used sachets of water and alcoholic drinks were sighted littering different parts of the parks.
It was observed that while the parks serve as critical points for movement and commerce, their unhygienic conditions threaten the very health of those who rely on them.
“I have been coming to this park for more than 10 years, and it’s only gotten worse.
“Nobody cares about us. We live with this dirt as if it’s normal. When the rains come, we know the sickness will follow,” said Gbenga Adebayo, a bus conductor at Iyana-Ipaja park
Speaking with a union leader at Iyana-Oba park, Rasaki Olaitan said efforts to waste have not been successful because of a lack of proper waste disposal.
“It is really difficult for us as a union to manage waste here because as you can see this is a convergence of larger people from different states and you cannot just ask them not to dispose of their waste.
“Although there is a PSP container at Iyana-Oba market which is not too far from here, how are we going to take our own waste there if there is no waste bin at our park? That is why people eat and just dump the used takeaway park, plastic bottles and others here,” he lamented.
At Agege, a passenger expressed displeasure over the lack of proper waste disposal at the park.
He said, “The park is still filthy, and it is even worse during the rainy season. The government needs to see having waste bins at parks as something important.
“In the past, you will see waste bins inside public vehicles and this helps in having proper waste management. I don’t know why the government did not make it compulsory, but they must go back to it now.”
At Iyana-Oworo, our correspondent observed that while there was no proper waste bin, sacks were used as waste containers.
Moving around the park, a corner at the park has become a dump site for the traders in the garage.
None of the traders or union leaders were ready to speak with PUNCH Healthwise when our correspondent approached them.
But from observation, the environment looked dirty, as plastic bottles and nylon littered the park.
But when our correspondent went to the Ojota park just behind the popular Ojota dump site, it was discovered that the environment looked clean despite not having a single waste bin.
Speaking with one of the union leaders, Tajudeen Madojutimi said the park ensures proper disposal of waste daily.
He also said they have a full-time sweeper who is always available to take care of the park and ensure the waste is disposed of when due.
He said, “We don’t allow people to throw waste here. We ensure proper waste management and we dispose of them as soon as we get it.
We don’t have any government waste bin but you know our place is closer to the dumpsite, so it is easier for us to dispose of our waste.”
Availability of waste bins with filthy environment
When our correspondent visited Oshodi and Obalende, the story was different as waste disposals were sighted at the two parks.
Despite the waste bins at Obalende and Oshodi, it was observed that the environment still looked filthy, as dirt littered the garages.
At the BRT section of the Oshodi motor park, more than seven waste bins were sighted. Also, the park for buses heading to other states equally had four waste bins. But just a stone’s throw, a different story unfolded.
The two parks where yellow buses congregated were in poor condition, with the environment looking unkempt.
Not a single waste bin was sighted at these parks, as the ground was littered with discarded trash.
We acknowledge the observation regarding waste bins in parks such as Mile 2, Iyana Iba, Iyana Ipaja, and Agege. LAWMA is in collaboration with all parks and markets in Lagos for effective waste management.
“Health experts are correct in warning about the dangers posed by poor waste management, including the spread of diseases such as typhoid and cholera, the reason we keep preaching that proper waste management is a shared responsibility, as much as the government has a role to play, residents equally have their roles.
“LAWMA is acutely aware of these risks and is making concerted efforts to enhance the overall efficiency of waste management services in public spaces.
“We are also ramping up public sensitisation campaigns in parks, markets and across different areas in the state to encourage proper waste disposal practices, discourage littering, and promote community involvement in maintaining cleanliness.
“In addition to this street advocacy, we also make use of our radio programmes on different stations and different languages, so no one is left out.”
Kadiri also stressed the commitment of the agency to ensuring a cleaner Lagos.
She added, “We remain committed to addressing these challenges holistically, ensuring cleaner public spaces, protecting the environment, and safeguarding the health of Lagos residents.