By Edeniyere Abraham Osose
The Edo State Waste Management Board (EWMB), has ramped up its drive to make Edo State the cleanest in Nigeria by encouraging residents to pay waste disposal bills regularly; report any waste manager who refuses to provide necessary services; and desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainages and public places.
This was contained in an interview with the General Manager of EWMB, Mr Osadebamen Charles Imariagbe, on Friday, September 23, 2022. Imariagbe was responding to reports of inefficient and poor services from some waste managers who serve bills but refuse to provide adequate services to the people.
“We are using this opportunity to enlighten our people on how best they can dispose of their waste to have a clean environment, and the options and actions to take if their service providers are not measuring up to their expectations as it relates to waste management in their various zones.”
“As a Board, we are saddled with the responsibility of regulating all the activities of the waste managers apart from the illegal ones, who collect waste from residents and dump them indiscriminately. Hence, the Government has warned all the residents to stop patronizing (this group) because they are causing more harm than good in the State.”
He explained that residents should only transact with certified waste managers, adding that waste managers without licenses do not have access to the accredited dumpsites. Describing the process of waste evacuation, the GM explained that “they are supposed to come to your house or shop with trucks to evacuate your waste regularly, if you pay your bills regularly.
“If they fail to come to your house to evacuate your waste, kindly use the alternative system or intervention scheme by calling the Board to send emergency evacuators to remove your waste,” he added.
The EWMB boss also clarified that any month waste managers fail to remove refuse, they should not be paid. He also provided residents with the contact information of the Board to be used in reporting errant waste managers. “Any month your waste manager does not provide service to you; you are not expected to pay for that month. If they mistakenly serve you a bill and insist that you must pay for services not rendered, please reach out to the Board with the name of the zonal manager and all your evidence to report the issues.
“You can also call the EWMB customer care line (08109670790 or 0810967091) on your receipt/bill, or drop your complaints through the WhatsApp line (07014674731), and I assure you, the issues will be resolved without any form of delay.”
To reinforce the message against indiscriminate dumping of refuse, the EWMB has also deployed a task force to prosecute any resident found dumping refuse in public places. Signposts have also been placed in strategic locations to serve as a constant reminder to the people against dumping of waste indiscriminately.
