Mr Theodore Nwaokwe, the former Project Co-ordinator, Africa Stockpile Programme in Nigeria,  has warned against indiscriminate disposal of used pesticide containers.

Nwaokwe told newsmen recently in Abuja that such containers were injurious to human health and the environment.

He said, “Pesticides are chemicals, they are poisons. They are designed to kill live forms, and as such, adequate precautions must be taken.

“When the content is finished, you don’t just discard the container, the problem we have in Nigeria is that people discard and litter the containers, it’s not safe.”

Nwaokwe advised that the containers should be perforated and placed in waste bins where environmental officials could pick them up.

“You don’t keep them in the house where children can play with them. You can compress and squeeze them to prevent somebody from using them for other things,’’ he  said.

He also called on manufacturers and distributors to devise means of collecting such containers for recycling or destruction.

He said that although Nigeria faced the challenge of waste disposal and functional recycling companies, there was the need for the people to maintain a clean and healthy environment.

Nwaokwe also said that the use of pesticides in homes should be discouraged.

He urged that services of licensed fumigators should be sought for large-scale fumigation in the home and environment to ensure that the right measures were applied.

He said that a list of licensed fumigators could be obtained from the Federal Ministry of Health and the Environmental Health Division of the Ministry of Environment.