Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) says the authority is proposing a 50 per cent  increase in waste bill  across board for Lagos residents.

Ibrahim Odumboni, the Managing Director of LAWMA, made this known during a news conference on Wednesday in Lagos

Mr Odumboni said that the price increase was due to the high cost of operation by the Private Sector Participants (PSP) operators.

According to him, the cost of diesel used by PSP operators increased from N278 per litre in January to about N875, representing 300 per cent increment.

“We are in the process of having an extensive pricing review for PSP services offered to the households knowing fully well the economic reality.

“Also we are not introducing any change that will turn away consumers of our product.

”While the high cost is about 300 per cent, we are proposing a 50 per cent increase across the board,” Mr Odumboni said.

The CEO said that the governor was also providing additional subsidies for fuel other than the existing subsidies given to PSPs to share.

Lagos generates 13,000 metric tonnes of waste daily, Mr Odumboni said, adding that the trucks were being run with diesel 100 per cent.

He appealed to Lagos residents to patronise PSP operators instead of the illegal cart pushers who dumped refuse indiscriminately on the roads

Mr Odumboni said that the authority was considering the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to power PSP trucks to address the problem of high energy cost.

The LAWMA helmsman also warned that the authority would prosecute any household that did not have a bin from October 1.

”If you don’t have a bin from October 1, you may be prosecuted,” Mr Odumboni said.

He said that it was wrong for a compound of several houses to have just one waste bin.

According to him, sanitary officers will go round from house to house to advocate on the importance of adopting a bin and sorting of wastes.

(NAN)