Sanitation: AEPB mulls closure of market, office premises

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has reiterated its resolve to seal any business premises, government offices including common market places that fail to procure and install litter bins within their premises.
To this end, the Board called on every business premises and government offices to containerize their wastes, in order to help keep the nation’s capital clean and green.
AEPB Director, Baba Shehu Lawan, dropped this hint while answering questions from newsmen, on the sidelines of a joint cleaning exercise in Area 1, Garki-Abuja, last week.
He noted that while dumping of refuse on the ground remains illegal in FCT, but dearth of appropriate waste bins have increased the menace, hence the need to enforce the mandatory provision of such in public and private business facilities.
The AEPB boss decried that most of the available bins on major streets of the city are broken and leaking, which, according to him, is not allowed in the FCT.
He therefore warned residents to desist from keeping broken and leaking bins for containerisation of wastes generated.
Lawan while stressing that it is within mandate of the Environmental Board to enforce compliance, it would soon embark on strick enforcement to bring sanity to the environment.
“Litter bin is an important aspect of city cleaning. Every resident, every business premises and government offices must containerize their wastes.
“Dumping of refuse on the ground is illegal.You must containerize your wastes, either by having proper waste bins or you bag it properly.
“Also, you are expected to keep wastes generated at a proper and designated place for the refuse collection contractors to pick them up,” he reaffirmed.