In some of Lagos State’s busiest markets, food vendors display their wares just metres from overflowing waste bins, creating a disturbing blend of commerce and contamination. At Ojuwoye Market in Mushin and Oyingbo Market in Ebute Metta, traders sell tomatoes, dried fish, plantains and other perishables beside massive refuse collection points, raising serious concerns about food safety and public health. JANET OGUNDEPO reports
At the roadside section of Ojuwoye Market in Mushin, the makeshift stalls present a chaotic blend of commerce. Amid the everyday marketplace bustle between foodstuff vendors and buyers, sits a large dark orange waste container, commonly known as a skip bin.
Several visits to the market show the bin either filled to the brim or the collectors filling it up with waste brought from the market by the vendors and nearby residents.
While the presence of the skip bin arguably presents coordination in waste collection and retrieval in the area, its closeness to the makeshift stalls of traders selling perishable food items is a cause of worry.
The traders at the market appear resigned to the situation, continuing their business amidst the stench and sight of accumulated waste as though nothing is amiss.
Many seem to have accepted the arrangement as an unavoidable part of their daily reality, as interviews with some of them revealed.
One of the women who traded in frozen food, Mrs Olapade (not real name), seemed helpless about the situation.
“What can we do about it? There’s nothing we can do about the smell and activities going on there,” she replied in the Yoruba language.
Another trader in fruits, whose stall is adjacent to the bin, says she is not disturbed by the smell. Unarguably, she has come to accept its presence and activities.
PUNCH Healthwise also observed other traders who sat directly close to the bin openly displayed their wares, mostly dried fish, vegetables, plantains, and cow skin, popularly known as ponmo, fruits and tomatoes.
Our correspondent observed that only a few buyers glanced at the bins while others, who seemed unperturbed by the situation, continued to haggle prices and pick their choicest wares.
It was also gathered that as vendors called out their wares to buyers, men of all ages collected, sorted and packed the seemingly endless waste being brought to the waste collectors.
Almost daily, workers from the Lagos Waste Management Authority arrive to sort and package the mounting waste, their presence now as routine as the market traders themselves.
Findings by PUNCH Healthwise reveal that the skip bin was placed to collect waste from both traders and residents around the market area. In the evenings and at night, residents can be seen bringing their household refuse to the site, where collectors receive and arrange it.
Although some traders seem uncomfortable with the situation, they seem to have accepted the fact that nothing can be done to remove the bin or place it away from the food items section.
A few metres from the Ojuwoye market is the Idi-Oro plantain stall, where the items are sold in large quantities.
While the LAWMA bin was observed around the market, it was placed outside and a few steps away from the point of sale.
On a visit to the popular foodstuff and general goods market in Oyingbo, in the Ebute Metta area of the state, the presence of the skip bin was also cited close to where the trading activities are going on.
Although the market boasts a relatively modern look with structured buildings, the presence of refuse collection bins mars the otherwise orderly environment.
As with Ojuwoye Market, findings show that the roll-off dumpster was placed in the market area to facilitate easy collection of refuse from traders and surrounding residents.
However, its location within the food-selling sections of the market has created similar concerns about hygiene and contamination.
PUNCH Healthwise also observed that traders at the market seemed undisturbed by the situation as they went about their trading activities without worrying about the smell and the pile of waste.
Speaking on the health impact of consuming foods displayed by refuse collection sites, a Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine, Best Ordinioha, stressed that dumps located close to food markets pose health risks, including food contamination, asthma attacks, and potential fire outbreaks.
The Consultant Community Physician explained that while most cooked foods are protected from microbial contamination due to the cooking process, the real danger lies in cross-contamination and foods consumed raw.
“When it comes to food safety, there’s the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system. For every food, the hazards associated with that food are identified and analysed. In this case, the hazard is micro-organisms. If the food is usually cooked before eating, then there is a likelihood that the micro-organisms will be killed by the cooking. But if the food is consumed raw, like fruits and vegetables, and of course salads, then that is where the problem is,” Ordinioha explained.
He, however, noted an exception involving heat-stable toxins produced by certain bacteria.
“There are some toxins that are heat-stable. One is caused by Staph aureus. The toxin is heat-stable, which means that no matter how you cook it, the toxin will not be destroyed, and it will go ahead and cause food poisoning. So those are the times in which there will be problems with such refuse dumps,” the professor stated.
On the presence of waste bins in markets, Ordinioha clarified that having such bins is standard practice for places generating large quantities of waste.
“The problem is that the bin should be evacuated as it fills up, so that it will not spill. It is when it spills that it becomes a problem. And then the problems associated with poor solid waste management will come in. Rats will breed, and rats, whenever they breed, can attack the food and then contaminate it with urine, causing rat-borne diseases like Lassa fever. Flies will also breed, and when flies are mechanical vectors, they can pick germs from the toilet or from any other place and then drop it on the food,” he said.
The public health expert further warned that traders sitting for long hours near refuse dumps face direct health risks.
“Refuse dumps encourage the growth of mould or fungi, and fungi produce spores. Those spores are allergens, which means they have the capacity to trigger an asthmatic attack. So if somebody is asthmatic or is prone to allergic reactions, they can easily get an attack or an allergic reaction staying very close to such a refuse dump,” Ordinioha noted.
He also highlighted the fire risk posed by refuse dumps, particularly during the dry season.
“A lot of the waste is organic material, and they produce methane. Methane is a combustible gas. It can ignite. So refuse dumps can be a source of fire. There are several reasons why such situations should be avoided,” the professor warned.
On solutions, Ordinioha emphasised that while having waste bins in markets is appropriate, regular evacuation is crucial.
“A bin is good enough only when it is evacuated before it is filled. In fact, it is said that you shouldn’t let it fill to the brim. You evacuate it regularly. So if the bin fills every day, it means that it has to be evacuated on a daily basis. That is how it should be, and resources will have to be devoted to it,” he stated.
The professor advocated for a shift in how Nigeria perceives waste, encouraging the adoption of a circular economy model.
“The problem is that we still see refuse as waste. In a lot of countries, people are beginning to adopt what they call the circular economy, which means that technically there is no waste. Refuse can actually pay for itself. When we adopt recycling of waste, we will be able to realise that waste is money and it can even fund itself. So that means that the government will not spend a lot of money paying for refuse disposal. If it is adequately planned, there will be enough resources to cart away the refuse, even daily,” Ordinioha concluded.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of LAWMA were unsuccessful, as several calls and messages to the Head of Domestic PSP Operations, Tunde Sulaiman, received no response as of press time.
