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  • Visionscape, PSP operators to work for cleaner Lagos

    Visionscape, PSP operators to work for cleaner Lagos

    Visionscape Sanitation Solution and Waste Collection Operators (WCOs), also called private sector participant (PSP) operators, have agreed to a partnership for cleaner, healthier and safer Lagos.

    The partnership was finalised at a meeting convened yesterday by the Commissioner for the Environment, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, in his office at Alausa, Ikeja, the state capital.

    Durosinmi-Etti said the government was interested in easing the challenges in waste management by creating synergy between Visionscape Sanitation Solution and the WCOs in their spheres of operation.

    The commissioner noted that resolving the challenge in a mutually beneficial manner was the best approach.

    He said: “Government, more than ever, believes in this partnership. That is why it has not only provided a facility of up to N2.5 billion with state government guarantee, which PSP operators could access to upscale their operations, but has also opened another channel through the Employment Trust Fund for loan facilities at reasonable interest of not more than 12 per cent per annum.”

    Durosinmi-Etti said the state government was determined to remove all bottlenecks hindering seamless waste disposal operations.

    According to him, the state government is targeting a turn-around time of 30 minutes at the dumpsites by encouraging stakeholders to create additional platform at the sites.

    The commissioner said no efforts would be spared to return the dump sites to sanity by reducing indiscriminate parking of trucks and allowing scavengers, which he said add to the loss of time at dump sites.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Visionscape Sanitation Solution, John Irvine, lauded the initiative between his company and the WCOs.

    He said: “It is not unusual to face this kind of problems, especially in the first cycle of operations. It takes some time to build the superstructures and ameliorate the present hiccups. We are buying locally and taking steps to have waste container bins manufactured locally.”

    On behalf of the WCOs, Kasumu Afis Olasehinde reiterated the commitment of the waste collectors to the success of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative.

    Olasehinde said: “To show our total commitment to a cleaner, healthier and safer Lagos, we have not only resolved to work with the Government of Lagos State and the domestic waste operators as partners, we have also resolved to begin free operations, every Thursday, to mop up black spots in our areas.”

  • Lagos, PSP operators, Visionscape resolve differences

    Lagos, PSP operators, Visionscape resolve differences

    The differences which gave rise to emergence of refuse across Lagos State over the implementation of a new waste management policy encapsulated in the Cleaner Lagos Initiative have been resolved, with all the key players agreeing to sheath their sword and collaborate in order to ensure cleaner, prosperous and healthier environment in the state.

    The resolve to collaborate was reached on Thursday at a meeting held between officials of the Lagos State Government, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions and Waste Collection Operators (WCOs), also known as Private Sector Participant (PSP) Operators.

    Speaking at the meeting, the State’s Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti said that government was interested in easing challenges being experienced in Waste Management at present by creating synergy between Visionscape and the WCOs in their spheres of operation, stressing that resolving the challenge in a mutually beneficial manner was the best approach.

    “Government more than ever believes in this partnership and that is why it has not only provided a facility of up to N2.5b with State Government guarantee, which PSP Operators could access to upscale their operations, but has also opened another channel through the Employment Trust Fund for loan facilities at reasonable interest of not more than 12% per annum”, he said.

    The Environment Commissioner stated that the Lagos State Government was determined to remove all bottlenecks hindering seamless waste disposal operations, adding that it was making the bold move of targeting a turn-around time of thirty minutes at the dumpsites by encouraging concerned stakeholders to create additional platform at the sites.

    He emphasized that no efforts would be spared to return the dump sites to sanity by reducing the menace of indiscriminately parked trucks and scavengers, both of which add to the loss of time at the dump sites.

    On his part, Visionscape’s Chief Executive Officer, John Irvine, applauded the new found understanding between his company and the Waste Collection Operators and stated that challenges being experienced in domestic waste management in Lagos State had to do with the fact that the domestic waste operator was just in its first cycle of operation, meaning that it must contend with some teething problems.

    His words: “It is not unusual to face this kind of problems especially in the first cycle of operations. It takes some time to build the superstructures and to ameliorate the present hiccups; we are buying locally and taking steps to have waste container bins manufactured locally.”

    Speaking on behalf of the WCOs, Kasumu Afis Olasehinde reiterated their commitment to the success of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative and pledged to roll out more trucks to rid Lagos of Wastes’ black spots.

    “To show our total commitment to a cleaner, healthier and safer Lagos, we have not only resolved to work with the Government of Lagos State and the domestic waste operators as partners, we have also resolved to commence free Operations every Thursdays to mop up black spots in our respective areas” he said.

    It was agreed at the meeting that a seamless process should be put in place on how Visionscape and the PSPs will partner on the door-to-door collection of waste from March 1.

    It was also agreed that Visionscape would take the PSPs on a tour of the Epe Landfill, the first engineered landfill in West Africa.

    The meeting also agreed to set up a committee comprising all the stakeholders to ensure smooth operation of the project.

    Read Also: Saboteurs behind Lagos refuse, says Cleaner Lagos

  • Visionscape takes delivery of waste management equipment

    Lagos State Waste Management concessionaire, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions, has taken delivery of new 100 vehicles fitted with cutting-edge technology for its operations.

    The consignment consists series of waste trucks, from various rear end loaders to operational vehicles. With this, the company said it is set to begin operations across the state by moving onto the next phase of their contract for the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI).

    “The addition to the waste management fleet is in line with our commitment to provide integrated waste management services, using state-of-the-art equipment and innovative solutions to help transform megacities,” the Chief Operations Officer, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions,  Mr. Thomas Forgacs explained.

    The trucks are fully equipped and embedded with cutting-edge features, which include a Global Positioning System (GPS), radio-frequency identification (RFID) and automotive Controller Area Network (CAN) system.

    These innovative features, Forgacs explained,  are designed to meet the operational needs facing waste management across the state. Using these systems, he said, will enable the firm to thoroughly monitor and track the state’s waste collection process, ensuring the trucks are seamlessly deployed for effective waste collection, and all communities within local council development areas (LCDAs) and local government areas (LGAs) efficiently covered.

    “In the last six months, we have surveyed all of Lagos State and collated vital data to make our operations highly effective. We therefore understand population density of the communities and areas that will be serviced, even up to the number of streets and households across the state. This preliminary assessment has aided us to know the amount of waste that will be generated in any particular location,” Forgacs stated.

    Visionscape holds the residential waste collection contract for Lagos State and the management of three operating waste transfer loading stations, which are being renovated, under Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA). To date, the company has successfully cleared over 1,000 litter black spots and illegal dumpsites across the state, as part of their pre-operational

    Visionscape is in a public-private partnership with the Lagos State  to provide management services for the CLI under the LAWMA.

  • Lagos initiates new waste management reforms – LAWMA

    Lagos initiates new waste management reforms – LAWMA

    Mr Segun Adeniji, General Manager, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), says the waste management challenges facing the Lagos metropolis will soon be over when the state government’s reforms take effect.

    Adeniji gave the assurance on Friday in an interview in Lagos.

    He said that the new waste management reforms were aimed at ensuring a cleaner environment in the state.

    “Our waste management sector is currently undergoing a major reform. In March last year, a new bill was signed into law on the waste management sector, producing a single legislation that covers the entire environment sector in the state.

    “That same law has made LAWMA a regulatory body, as against the time when LAWMA was only carrying out 90 per cent operations and 10 per cent regulations.

    “From this year henceforth, all operations will be carried out by a competent body called Visionscape International, and the agency will handle all waste and refuse issues,” he said.

    Read also: LAWMA: We are not owing sweepers salaries

    Adeniji said that 35 per cent of the equipment required for the onset of waste evacuation in the Lagos metropolis had arrived.

    According to him, the company will commence the clearing of waste in a fortnight with the available equipment.

    “We will soon start living under the conditions of a new programme called the `Cleaner Lagos Initiative’ ( CLI ) in the next few weeks when the equipment rolls out.

    “The little challenges we are facing now are due to the withdrawal of services by the Private Sector Participation ( PSP ) operators, who had issues with the state government because of the new reform about to take place, which made them stop collecting the waste.

    “The residents, too, were not cooperating by paying their dues for refuse collection services but I assure the residents that pockets of refuse seen here and there will be a thing of the past once the CLI becomes operational very soon.

    “There will be a little pain for us to get a greater joy,” he added.

    Adeniji said that dumpsites were being prepared for the new reform programme, while reconstruction works were underway at the Epe dumpsite.

    “In the next few months, two dumpsites will be constructed in Ikorodu and Badagry for effective waste disposal services,” he said.

    He called on Lagos residents to exercise more patience, as intervention trucks had started going round to evacuate the waste which was generated during the recent festive period.

    NAN

  • Lagos warns against indiscriminate dumping of refuse

    Lagos warns against indiscriminate dumping of refuse

    The Lagos State Government has issued a stern warning to residents dumping refuse indiscriminately on the streets and dredgers sand filling wetlands to desist from such unwholesome practice or face the wrath of the law.

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare who stated this on Friday in Lagos whilst fielding questions on a television programme said the PSP operators could not cope with the quantum of waste being generated in the state estimated to be 13,000 metric tons per day.

    He said the PSP operators erroneously believed that they were being put out of business and assured them that they were still an integral part of the loop as attested to by the on-going re-certification exercise of the operators.

    He disclosed that the Lagos State Government was tackling the knotty waste problems in the state in a comprehensive manner with the assistance of about 12 consortiums including Visionscape, a globally acclaimed environmental utility group that would confront the issue with technology, better funding and germane solutions under the Cleaner Lagos Initiative which will become fully operational in September.

    He said that what was currently being experienced was just the transitory period aggravated by acts of saboteurs and dredgers involving only transportation of waste, adding that under CLI refuse will be a resource to the government.

    His words: “Under the CLI, waste would first be collected from all the 377 wards in the state before being transported to the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) where they would be sorted out into nylons, papers, bottles and organic wastes for recycling. About 27, 500 workers would be employed and they would earn slightly more than the minimum wage, enjoy medical and life insurance as well as injury cover. They will not spend money on transportation as they would be recruited from their neighbourhood”.

    The Commissioner assured residents and indigenes of the state that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode would deliver on all his promises, adding that Lagos State would be the first state in the country to surmount the problem of waste disposal.

     

  • Cleaner Lagos initiative takes off September – Ambode

    Cleaner Lagos initiative takes off September – Ambode

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday said that the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI), which is a major reform of his administration to revolutionize the solid waste management sector in line with international best practices will commence in the first week of September.

    The Governor, who spoke at a media workshop in Lagos to sensitize journalists ahead of the take-off, said the initiative would not only change the solid waste management system in the State, but would also engender a sustainable, cleaner and healthier environment for Lagosians, just as he assured that the people would be better for it.

    Ambode who was represented by the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, said all was now set for the eventual take off, with the passage of the Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017, the concession of residential waste collection and procession to a reputable and competent multinational Waste Services Company as well as the transformation of the erstwhile Kick Against Indiscipline Brigade to a more civil Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC).

    The Governor said in the interim, a temporary intervention programme tagged “Operation Deep Clean”, was already on going with a mandate to evacuate solid waste from dark spots and major locations across the State, urging Lagosians to cultivate the habit of bagging their waste properly.

    “We are going to start the CLI by first week in September and by the grace of God Lagosians would see how we intends to clean Lagos and make it a more beautiful and liveable environment for us.

    “In the meantime, we have thrown up and intervention programme that the Ministry of the Environment, LAWMA and Visionscape is doing called ‘Operation Deep Clean’. The three of them have combined together and are doing this intervention programme supported by our PSP team and even we have started using open trucks for them just to make sure that we don’t have refuse so much on our road.

    “I want to tell Lagosians that don’t dump refuse irresponsibly, bag your refuse, put it in front of your house and I assure you, this Government would come and take them. Don’t worry, where there is no pain, there is no gain, this is just a transition that we are in and by the grace of God come first week in September, we would see the new thing and we would all enjoy it and be happy about it,” he said.

    Besides, Governor Ambode said that the commitment of his administration to ensure the successful implementation of the CLI was driven by the strategic importance of the environment as a bedrock upon which development and economic prosperity rest.

    He also said that the spirited efforts to improve sanitation and hygiene are founded with the determination to provide a level playing field for all investors and inject international best practices into Solid Waste Management sector in the State.

    “This initiative has offered us the unique opportunity to seek private investment from nationally and internationally renowned players in the waste management sector, infuse more efficiency and enhance the standard of living of our people by attaining a cleaner, safer and more secured environment,” the Governor said.

    The Governor, therefore, said the workshop was necessary to deepen the understanding of members of the media and put the CLI in proper perspective with regards to its modus operandi and the expected benefits to Lagosians.

    “The CLI is a reform of the solid waste management sector of the State and that is why we are here. We know that by educating and exposing the media to all the facts about CLI, you would be able to educate the people because their buy-in is very critical and very important and you know we are responsible for them and to them, so therefore, educating them through you is very important,” he said.

  • LASG evacuates waste from Lagos streets

    LASG evacuates waste from Lagos streets

    …As operation deep clean gathers momentum

     

    The Lagos State Ministry of the Environment in collaboration with Visionscape has swung into action and cleared over 12,600 metric tonnes of waste from over 80 locations across Lagos State within 10 days in an exercise tagged ‘Operation Deep Clean’.

    The clean-up of refuse dumps all over the State began in July. Visionscape has been clearing up black spots – illegal waste dumpsites.

    Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare in a statement affirmed the government’s resolve to rid the state of refuse heaps and solicited the support of all residents for the soon-to-be fully launched Cleaner Lagos Initiative.

    “Since the exercise began, over 80 locations across the State have been covered and we are building momentum in spite of the heavy rainfall this season. We are building a new culture of waste management in Lagos State. We are optimistic that all communities in Lagos State will see overall benefits of this drive to put an integrated waste management system in place “, he said.

    Many Lagosians have commended Operation Deep Clean, positing that the impact would be phenomenal once it spreads to all parts of the state.

    Speaking in an interview, Mrs Abiodun Yusuff, a shop owner in Egbeda area of the state, said the good job being done by the government deserved commendation, adding that the government was silently revolutionizing waste management in the state. She said the positive impact of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative is being felt in the state.

    “I was getting worried about the seriousness of the State Government to address waste management because at some point and even in some areas now, you still find heaps of refuse on the road. But I commend the government officials for the good job they did in our area. My only charge to them is that they should not relent but keep on cleaning everywhere and ensure that the state is free of waste,” she said.

    A chieftain of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Prince Yakub Abiola Aromasodu has also commended the Lagos State Government for the prompt evacuation of debris from Akobi Crescent in Surulere, saying that the development attests to the commitment of the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration to address waste management in line with international best practices.

    Following the torrential rain in the state last week, many areas including Akobi Crescent were flooded and overtaken by debris, with people unable to access their streets and homes. Within hours, officials of the Ministry of Environment including the Commissioner were on site and the new waste management partner of the State Government, Visionscape, moved to the area and cleaned it up.

    Responding to the development, Aromasodu, who also resides in Surulere, said the fact that the debris was evacuated within few hours speaks volumes about the ability of the State Government to appropriately respond to issues affecting the state.

    Aromasodu, who is a former PDP Youth Leader in Lagos State and former Coordinator of National Programme for Eradication of Poverty (NAPEP) in the state, said government must now intensify the campaign to educate the people on desisting from dumping waste in drainage channels and on highways and streets.

    “I must commend the State Government and particularly Governor Ambode for the swift response in addressing the situation. I was worried myself when I saw the pictures of Akobi Crescent online showing how the situation was but within hours, the whole area was cleaned up. This is simply a serious confirmation of the fact that the government of the day is committed to transforming the waste management sector as the Governor has said on several occasions and I want to ask them to keep up the good work,” Aromasodu said.

    Over 80 locations have been cleared up spanning from Abijo along Lekki Expressway in Eti Osa Local Government, Oke Afa Bridge around Oke Afa Bus Stop in Ejigbo, Osapa Junction in Lekki, Awori-Oniyaya/Balogun Ilawe in Agege, Alabama Suru Market in Ifelodun area, Durbar Road, Mile 2 (Jakande Estates) Amuwo Odofin, Olaogun Street in Ebute Meta Yaba, Roju Avenue in Kosofe/Ojota, Church Bus Stop at Igando Road, Igando Ikotun, St Finbars College in Akoka, Moshood Abiola Model Market in Agege Lagos, among others.

     

     

  • Lagos hails Visionscape for Cleaner Initiative investment

    Lagos hails Visionscape for Cleaner Initiative investment

    The Lagos State Government has praised Visionscape Sanitation Solutions Limited, an innovative environmental utility group, for investing in Nigeria at a time others are learning.

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, represented by the Environment Commissioner, Dr Babatunde Adejare, spoke at the soft launch of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) and the inauguration of Nigeria’s first 24-hour waste management depot at Ogudu.

    He said: “The soft launch of the new waste management policy is a dream comes true, and a demonstrable evidence of what determination and proper planning could bring into fruition.

    “We believe in Visionscape. We are standing by you. We know you can do it. With your capabilities and clout, Lagos State will be the cleanest city in the world. We will work with you in every way and we will make it happen together. This is your Lagos, our Lagos.

    “Coming here and seeing these fantastically looking vans and trucks of Visionscape that would be used for waste management is inspiring and encouraging. This is just a small bit of what we intend to launch through the CLI in days to come.

    “A lot of people thought that this would not be achieved but here we are today launching the first phase.

    “I just want to say here that we have always believed in Visionscape and if not, we would not have chosen the consortium to do this for us.

    “We are very glad and satisfied with the giant strides Visionscape is taking in ensuring that we achieve the aim that we have all sat down to set. I just want to admonish members of staff of the firm that apart from what they would be paid, they should see this as their own contribution to making Lagos what we all want it to be, which is to become the cleanest city in the world.”

    Visionscape’s Executive Director Harry Ackerman, said the company was delighted to be part of the journey to make Lagos a clean State, assuring that modern techniques and technologies in waste management would be deployed to provide top class services for the people.

    Ackerman said: “Our top priority is to ensure that the waste management needs of Lagos are met. We will do this by implementing sustainable long-term solutions that are tailor-made for Lagos specifically.”