The Lagos State Government has said that, as part of its efforts to ensure a clean environment, it will begin to prosecute homeowners who fail to show evidence of having waste bins in 2023.

The Managing Director of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, Mr Ibrahim Odumboni, disclosed this on Friday during an event to commemorate the third anniversary of the Lagos Recycling Initiative in Olusosun, Ojota.

Odumboni added that the state has grown from three official recyclers in 2019 to over 157 registered recyclers in 2022 and this has created job opportunities for over 12,500 persons.

He said, “From October 1, every household must own a waste bin. It is mandatory and non-negotiable. You just have to have a waste bin. It is in the law of the state.

“If you do not have a waste bin, you will be served an abatement notice and then from January 4, 2023, you will stand to be prosecuted if you cannot provide evidence of your bin. You have three months to sort yourself out to get a bin for your household.”

In his address, the Executive Director, LAWMA, Mr Adekunle Adebiyi, noted the importance of recycling to tackle plastic pollution in the environment.

“Most times, plastic waste ends up in the ocean, polluting it, threatening ecosystems, killing biodiversity, and poisoning the food chain. If this trend continues, our living and livelihood will be in jeopardy and all the dumpsites will run out of space in less than five years.

“There is the need to create value from waste through reuse and recycling so that we can decrease the volume of waste that goes to the dump site,” he said.