As the current economic recession bites harder, more Nigerians, especially Lagos residents, are scavenging dumpsites for scraps, used cans and plastic containers in exchange for money, according to New Telegraph’s finding.
Although waste scavenging in an informal setting is not recognised by the Lagos State Government, but more people are besieging the Olusosun dumpsite in the metropolis in search of meal tickets.
According to findings, the popular dumpsite in Lagos metropolis now plays host to hundreds of Lagos residents, seeking for a way to survive this harsh period. One of the scavengers, Isah Ahmed, formerly a shoe maker, who spoke with New Telegraph on Tuesday, said the current hardship in the country had drawn him and many of his colleagues, numbering 55, to waste scavenging business.
He said the daily/weekly pay on the business makes it more attractive factor, adding that if someone is hardworking, he could earn up to N10,000 per week from it. He disclosed that he made an average of between N8,000 and N10,000 weekly for picking tonnage of used materials that he sells to companies.
According to him, he combs the dumpsite for metal scraps such as discarded cans, spoons, aluminum materials and e-waste among others as soon as trucks from the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and registered PSP offload their wastes.
Another waste scavenger, a female, Funmi Johnson, told our correspondent that she specialised in picking used plastic bottles, saying she picks more than 500 of such bottles daily.
Johnson, who is in her late thirties, has two children with her ex-husband. She was introduced to the business by one of his mother’s friends, whom she said had built a house in Ibafo, Ogun state through the proceeds of waste collection.
According to her, more than 500 women troop the dumpsite for daily living since the economic hardship escalated, and some have spent more than five years doing the job.
On her part, Chioma, who is just four months old in the business, expressed dissatisfaction over the way people look down on scavengers, saying she wished to make enough money and go back to her fabric trade business in Jibowu.
To pick used plastic materials within the dumpsite, another female, Mrs Aisha Ibitoye, 45, said that such person must register with LAWMA officials in charge. She disclosed that aside from used plastic materials and nylon, anyone who is interested in scavenging the dumpsite for metal/ steel scraps was free to enter.
“We also have taskforce here who ensures that orderliness is maintained,” she said. Another scavenger, who identified himself simply as Kola, said he was encouraged to venture into the business by his friends, who has been doing the job for three years.
His words: “I have come to realise after four months that the job of waste searching is meant for die-hard people who can defy the glamour of “fine boy” and face the stench that oozes out of the dumpsite to make money.”
Kola, who makes an average of N85,000 monthly from the dumpsite for picking metal scraps and e-waste, disclosed that the dumpsite provided employment for more than 3,000 people daily. “If you move inside, you will see many people minding their businesses,” he said.
He disclosed that the dumpsite had a team of taskforce, with an appointed leader who settles matters ranging from theft to physical confrontations. Within the site are several small restaurants, barber shops, and at one point, a night club.