BY CHIJIOKE OYE
The Delta State Ministry of Environment has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting a zero-waste initiative by introducing waste separation at the source, aimed at enhancing environmental cleanliness and sustainability.
Speaking in a seminar, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr (Mrs) Minnie Osaji said the State Government is passionate about recycling waste materials, adding that the seminar is to enlighten the public on the best practices to clean up the environment.
The Permanent Secretary encouraged the public to comply with the PSPs’ efforts to clean up the environment while noting that the public must adapt to the initiative of sorting non-decomposing waste from decomposed waste at the generating point.
She said ‘’The state government is engaging more recycling companies and we’re trying to streamline the scavengers activities, get them properly recruited and fix them in the various recycling companies in the city’’.
The Permanent Secretary disclosed that the very few existing recycling companies in the state were expanding and would need the services of the scavengers whom they would deploy properly, documented and monitored.
She pointed out that the official engagement of the scavengers would further reduce crime and enhance productivity in that sector.
Dr Osaji said that they would continue to monitor the dump sites and would rate a dump site high if it is free from scavengers, while they would frown at dump sites still harbouring scavengers.
However, the representative of the PSPs operating in Asaba, Mr. Adeniyi Osaware pointed out that the State Government is ready to invest, adding that the seminar is apt as it would create a way for the progress of driving the initiative of zero waste environment and turning waste to wealth
