The Managing Director of Eastern Waste Management Company (EWMC). Mr Cyril Uche Njoku, has inaugurated a task force comprising over 40 members, charged with the responsibility of combating environmental pollution and to improve waste management services in the state.
The task force which made up of environmental officers, sanitation workers, and security personnel, was launched during a ceremony held Wednesday, at the Imo State Government House, Owerri.
The EMWC managing director who inaugurated the task force, emphasized the importance of effective waste management in maintaining a clean and healthy environment. He noted that the company has been in Imo State for six months, cleaning up everywhere but regretted that people kept littering the environment with refuse, adding that the company cannot make any headway with such attitude of the people.
Mr Njoku noted that they decided to enforce their operation by Instituting a task force, in the fight against environmental pollution.
He further stated that the task force members, who according to him, have undergone rigorous training, would be responsible for monitoring and enforcing proper waste disposal practices, preventing indiscriminate dumping of refuse and maintaining cleanliness in public spaces, as well as engage in public awareness campaigns to educate residents on the importance of proper waste management in preventing environmental diseases.
Njoku however hinted that there operations would start first with Owerri metropolis, and would be gradually extended to the three senatorial zones of the state, stating that anyone who went contrary to tge laws would be prosecuted in the company’s mobile court.
He also hinted on the recycling plant which he said, was undergoing clearance at the moment, and said that the company would be needing about 23, 000 metric tons of waste on daily bases to produce power.
The Deputy Managing Director, DMD, of. Eastern Waste Management Company, Mr Isi Agbi, expressed optimism that the task would make a significant impact in reducing environmental pollution in the state. He pledged the company’s commitment to supporting the task force in achieving its objectives.
Agbi stressed that the inauguration of the task force was a significant step towards addressing the environmental challenges facing the state, adding that with the support of the government and the commitment of the EWMC, the task force was poised to make a positive impact on the environment and the lives of residents.
The DMD also warns illegal waste disposal companies that work clandestinely in state, pointing out that they were not authorised to dispose waste because they did not have the operational licence to do so.
He advised organizations like hotels, hospitals, eateries among others, to stop patronising illegal waste management companies so as not to get themselves into trouble.
