By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Oyo State government has flagged off an intensive door-to-door waste evacuation exercise aimed to address the menace of indiscriminate waste disposal in the metropolis.
To achieve effectiveness, 169 private waste collectors have been accredited and have been tasked to ensure the state is clean at every time.
According to the waste management consultant for the state government, Mr Adey Adewuyi, the waste collectors, now known as Mottainai Accredited Franchisees, will be empowered to fast-track the clearing of waste from the streets of Ibadan and restore environmental sustainability.
He added that the new system in place does not permit residents and commercial waste creators/generators in Oyo State to make cash payments to any accredited waste collector.
“All payments are made through bank transfer, Point of Sale (POS) or Direct Deposit in the banking hall. Also, all former residential pick-up tariffs will be maintained with no increase whatsoever,” he said.
Mr Adewuyi said the verification exercise was done in collaboration with the Oyo State Waste Management Authority (OYOWMA), for waste collectors that have been operating in Oyo State and some new companies that applied to work in the waste management sector.
“So far, 169 waste collectors, who have shown that they have some level of capacity, have been verified and are now known as Mottainai Accredited Franchisees (MAFs),” he said.
The consultant noted that with 21 compactors, 3 Roro trucks, 175 open trucks, and no (zero) skip trucks, the operational capacity of the MAFs is far below what is required to keep the state clean, but stressed that his firm, Mottainai Recycling Ltd, will empower them with operational trucks.
“We are confident that with the right tools, the new and existing MAFs will achieve greater efficiency.
“In the meantime, all former PSPs, now MAFs, have been mandated to clean up Oyo State. Some of them have been assigned to return to their former slots, while others have been assigned new slots,” Mr Adewuyi said, reaffirming that his company was committed to maintaining a clean environment.
Adedapo Adesanya