Don Charges Public On Waste Management Potentials

The Nigeria Society of En
gineers (NSE), has enjoined members of the public to maximize the hidden financial potentials in solid waste instead of throwing them away.
A university lecturer, Dr Asinyetogha Igoni, gave the advice in his paper presentation titled, “Emergent Issues in Sustainable Management of Municipal Solid Waste in Nigeria”, during the monthly general meeting of the society in Port Harcourt, recently.
Igoni emphasized that there is need to create wealth from sales and processing of solid waste, stressing that for waste management to be sustainable venture, the private sector should be encouraged to participate in the business, coupled with government efforts to make waste management business look attractive and lucrative.
He reiterated that for such a business to be lucrative and attractive, it required a comprehensive and professional planning, documentation of improvement data and adequate public enlightenment, noting that insufficient techniques and technologies could actually hinder the effective management of solid waste.
The University Don, noted that for the waste management approach to be a sustainable venture, the private sector should be encouraged as the operators would be scouting for the waste themselves while waste generators would be hoarding their waste.
He called on the government to look beyond the collection and disposal of waste, but to make concerted effort to convert its waste to a variety of useful products.
The university lecturer however scored the Rivers State Waste Management Authority high for its resounding high level improvement in the collection and disposal of solid waste and commended the government’s scrap to wealth programme for a job well done in making the state “Garden City.”

Collins Barasimeye & Amaso Asifamabia