NewStats: 3,259,379 , 8,169,953 topics. Date: Saturday, 24 May 2025 at 07:54 PM 1d6y2n

The government owns the biggest fault here, especially Lagos state government. They need to take their waste disposal and collection more better. As a sane citizen, I'll finish my consumables and see no waste bin in sight even in public places. I can move 100s of km and I'll see no waste bin or anything, tell me why I won't throw my waste away on the floor??
I can guarantee you waste littering will reduce significantly if waste bin are located in various strategic points fr in this history. This isn't cap
And they need more investment in PSP trucks for real

Excellent post and on point.
After a heavy rain they will start complaining that the drainages are filled and its all government's fault. I have also witnessed people going through my trash bin looking for something of value only to pull out the trash and scatter it all over the places for me to pick.

pocohantas:
Poverty, lack of civilization, overpopulation and dirtiness, go hand in hand.

wealth or maybe the appearance of wealth does not translate to common sense.

i regularly see people in expensive vehicles casually throwing bottles to the road

sometimes all you need to do is look for the dustbin - esp in a shopping mall. but if training dont dey, it dont dey

HOW CAN WE ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM? CAN IT BE INCLUDED IN OUR ACADEMIC CURRICULUM? WHAT CAN OUR GOVERMENT DO ABOUT IT : FROM FEDERAL TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT? HOW CAN WE SENSITIZE OUR PEOPLE ABOUT THE DANGERS OF THIS NON-CHALANT ATTITUDE TO WASTE DISPOSAL.

SeverusSnape:
Talk from now till tomorrow, It doesn't change the fact that most Nigerians are nonchalantly untidy.

immortalcrown:
That is the combination of wickedness and carelessness. If the government tries to ban sachet water and bottled water, the same careless and wicked people will claim that the government does not want poor masses to survive in the country. But now that the government allows the poor masses to survive on the business of sachet water and bottled water, the poor masses wickedly and carelessly use the business to degrade the environment.

During heavy rain, some people purposely empty waste bins into gutters for erosion to shift the trash from the front of their compounds to other compounds down the street. If it is not wickedness, why do they wait until rain starts and why do they usually do it secretly?

If I drink a satchel of water halfway, I empty the sachet by pouring the remaining water away before properly disposing of the sachet, so as to make incineration of the sachet possible and faster. Many people drink sachet water halfway and dump the sachet with the remaining water, thereby making incineration of the sachet very difficult or even impossible.

What do you mean by incineration here? Who does it? Nature?

GloriousGbola:


wealth or maybe the appearance of wealth does not translate to common sense.

i regularly see people in expensive vehicles casually throwing bottles to the road

sometimes all you need to do is look for the dustbin - esp in a shopping mall. but if training dont dey, it dont dey

It is a mix of all or some. Maybe more factors. America and China are populous countries, but I bet they don't behave this way.

It’s funny how people expect dirt to clean up itself.
You’d see grown ups drop things stupidly like it would disappear. Later dem go Dey say everywhere dirty.

Most Nigerians are pigs

You tried but let me add.

The waste disposal culture from homes or residential areas too needs changing. Most of the waste are not biodegradable and would cost the disposing housings little to organise for onward processing.

So sad!

H

immortalcrown:
That is the combination of wickedness and carelessness. If the government tries to ban sachet water and bottled water, the same careless and wicked people will claim that the government does not want poor masses to survive in the country. But now that the government allows the poor masses to survive on the business of sachet water and bottled water, the poor masses wickedly and carelessly use the business to degrade the environment.

During heavy rain, some people purposely empty waste bins into gutters for erosion to shift the trash from the front of their compounds to other compounds down the street. If it is not wickedness, why do they wait until rain starts and why do they usually do it secretly?

If I drink a satchel of water halfway, I empty the sachet by pouring the remaining water away before properly disposing of the sachet, so as to make incineration of the sachet possible and faster. Many people drink sachet water halfway and dump the sachet with the remaining water, thereby making incineration of the sachet very difficult or even impossible.

BeforeJuly:
I wholeheartedly believe in the power of indoctrination—when done right, it shapes habits that last a lifetime. Take, for example, the Keep Lagos Clean campaign launched by Governor Fashola in 2008. That initiative left such a deep impression on me that, to this day, I find it nearly impossible to litter. No matter how small the trash in my hand, I hold onto it until I find a bin—whether outside or at home. On rare occasions, I dispose of biodegradable waste like paper or edibles I snack on in gutters, but never plastic or anything non-degradable.

Now to the point of this rant: Why are Nigerians so frustratingly careless when it comes to waste disposal? It baffles me daily. I watch people wind down their car windows to fling entire plastic bottles onto the streets, gutters, and sidewalks without a second thought. Every time I step outside, I witness this behavior over and over again—so normalized that no one even bats an eye. It’s not just uneducated people doing this; even well-dressed, seemingly refined young men and women casually toss trash out of moving danfos, BRT's and private cars.

And then there’s the excuse I hear all the time: “Well, the government hasn’t provided enough public bins.” Fair enough, but how hard is it to hold onto a piece of trash for a few extra minutes until you find a bin? I’ve done this a million times—it’s inconvenient sometimes, sure, but it’s not impossible. It all boils down to discipline and respect for the environment you live in.

But here’s the thing—even those who do throw their trash in bins still somehow manage to do it wrong. Have you ever walked past a public dustbin and seen trash scattered all around it? Some people don’t even bother to push their waste inside; they just dump it near the bin, as if the ground around it is an extension of the bin itself. And when the bin gets full, what happens? They keep stacking garbage on top like it’s a balancing game, until the wind or rain scatters it everywhere again.

How many people actually think, "This bin is full, let me look for another one” or “Let me bring out a garbage bag to contain the overflow”? Almost nobody. Because as long as they can say, “Well, I threw my trash in the right place”, they feel no responsibility for the mess.

And that’s the deeper issue—too many Nigerians live with a bare minimum mentality. We only do the absolute least required to feel good about ourselves, never going an inch beyond that. We blame the government for everything, yet we refuse to make the smallest effort to improve our own surroundings.

Have you ever noticed how quickly Nigerians will transform their own personal space into something clean and presentable? Their houses, their cars, their offices—immaculate. But once they step outside, they suddenly lose all sense of responsibility. “It’s not my business,” “It’s not my property,” “Government should fix it.” Well this is one of the reasons why our streets are filthy, why our public spaces are decaying, and why, despite all the potential in this country, we still live in dysfunction.

The way we dispose of our waste is a direct reflection of who we are as individuals and, collectively, as a society. Compare Nigeria—where littering is second nature—to countries where people make a conscious effort to dispose of waste properly. The difference is stark. Nigeria is already difficult to live in; must we add filth to the misery? Imagine how much more bearable life here would be if our streets weren’t drowning in garbage.

If you’re guilty of careless littering, I urge you to make a conscious effort to change. Start by holding onto your trash until you find a bin. If a bin is full, don’t just dump your waste on top—find another bin or secure the trash properly. If you see overflowing garbage, take the initiative to add a bag or encourage others to dispose of their waste properly. These little things matter.

Once you practice this consistently, it becomes second nature. Small actions like this ripple into something bigger. Let’s do better. Abeg.

There needs to be more work done on both sides tbh. Both the government and the citizens.

BeforeJuly:
I wholeheartedly believe in the power of indoctrination—when done right, it shapes habits that last a lifetime. Take, for example, the Keep Lagos Clean campaign launched by Governor Fashola in 2008. That initiative left such a deep impression on me that, to this day, I find it nearly impossible to litter. No matter how small the trash in my hand, I hold onto it until I find a bin—whether outside or at home. On rare occasions, I dispose of biodegradable waste like paper or edibles I snack on in gutters, but never plastic or anything non-degradable.

Now to the point of this rant: Why are Nigerians so frustratingly careless when it comes to waste disposal? It baffles me daily. I watch people wind down their car windows to fling entire plastic bottles onto the streets, gutters, and sidewalks without a second thought. Every time I step outside, I witness this behavior over and over again—so normalized that no one even bats an eye. It’s not just uneducated people doing this; even well-dressed, seemingly refined young men and women casually toss trash out of moving danfos, BRT's and private cars.

And then there’s the excuse I hear all the time: “Well, the government hasn’t provided enough public bins.” Fair enough, but how hard is it to hold onto a piece of trash for a few extra minutes until you find a bin? I’ve done this a million times—it’s inconvenient sometimes, sure, but it’s not impossible. It all boils down to discipline and respect for the environment you live in.

But here’s the thing—even those who do throw their trash in bins still somehow manage to do it wrong. Have you ever walked past a public dustbin and seen trash scattered all around it? Some people don’t even bother to push their waste inside; they just dump it near the bin, as if the ground around it is an extension of the bin itself. And when the bin gets full, what happens? They keep stacking garbage on top like it’s a balancing game, until the wind or rain scatters it everywhere again.

How many people actually think, "This bin is full, let me look for another one” or “Let me bring out a garbage bag to contain the overflow”? Almost nobody. Because as long as they can say, “Well, I threw my trash in the right place”, they feel no responsibility for the mess.

And that’s the deeper issue—too many Nigerians live with a bare minimum mentality. We only do the absolute least required to feel good about ourselves, never going an inch beyond that. We blame the government for everything, yet we refuse to make the smallest effort to improve our own surroundings.

Have you ever noticed how quickly Nigerians will transform their own personal space into something clean and presentable? Their houses, their cars, their offices—immaculate. But once they step outside, they suddenly lose all sense of responsibility. “It’s not my business,” “It’s not my property,” “Government should fix it.” Well this is one of the reasons why our streets are filthy, why our public spaces are decaying, and why, despite all the potential in this country, we still live in dysfunction.

The way we dispose of our waste is a direct reflection of who we are as individuals and, collectively, as a society. Compare Nigeria—where littering is second nature—to countries where people make a conscious effort to dispose of waste properly. The difference is stark. Nigeria is already difficult to live in; must we add filth to the misery? Imagine how much more bearable life here would be if our streets weren’t drowning in garbage.

If you’re guilty of careless littering, I urge you to make a conscious effort to change. Start by holding onto your trash until you find a bin. If a bin is full, don’t just dump your waste on top—find another bin or secure the trash properly. If you see overflowing garbage, take the initiative to add a bag or encourage others to dispose of their waste properly. These little things matter.

Once you practice this consistently, it becomes second nature. Small actions like this ripple into something bigger. Let’s do better. Abeg.

Don’t you think this is more of a gradual degradation of the nationalism and years of neglect of the government than the citizens attitude? A lot of Nigerians as you rightly pointed out , are clean in their homes and offices . But in the society they don’t care. It means Nigerians CAN be clean . They just need a government that is proactive towards it . To guide them . To fine them when caught . Let’s assume the all the citizens decide dump waste appropriately . How many dumpsters do we have ? Our waste disposal systems are inadequate to deal with our waste volume.
Solution: the government must first take it seriously and ensure that the system is efficient and adequate . Then reorienting the populace can commence

I make kids pick up dirt when they throw it on the road lol. But the adults are not helping. I give them bombastic side eyes

I think the best solution to this is, each street or community should have an association where every house pay a monthly due it might be as low as #2k then any household guilty of this should pay a fine of #20k then once the bins are full there should be a private waste disposal company who will drive their and clear the rubbish. U might be wondering how do we spot this people we know there people with corridor shops so they will be whistleblower then they get incentives. Nigerians are very dirty, even in workspace we have staffs that are dirty. They don't even clear there desk. There is this current thing they do where they put rubbish on the road on purpose. Some will pour from their fence without looking rubbish from the kitchen there was a day I almost got stained by one kid who the mother told to throw rubbish away

This is where the govt of Buhari/ late IDIAGON has always come tops
it always makes one to the era of.....W.A.I ...slogan i.e War Against indiscipline
otherwise also called KAI MANA!...forbidding the littering of the environment and ensuring you are always on the que instead
crowded jostling of the hundreds of people to be attended to at the same time!

This was the reason of our monthly Environmental sanitation till today for those that does not know

Some people are natural





DIRTY

donleo92:
This throwing of things is solely based on the environment you find yourself.

Them no born you well to throwaway something for calabar town or even for lekki.

But you can throw stuffs away in areas like kwara and kogi and nobody go send you. Why? Causes it's obtainable in that environment

Which Lekki? Stop hyping shit.. Lekki stinks 😩. If you say some estates in Lekki, fine. But whole Lekki, nah. Come iralty way or freedom way, you go see how people dey troway plastic bottle up and down . The only good thing about it is that, those bottle pickers go pick in few minutes for recycling purpose but people dey troway for Lekki oo.

BeforeJuly:
I wholeheartedly believe in the power of indoctrination—when done right, it shapes habits that last a lifetime. Take, for example, the Keep Lagos Clean campaign launched by Governor Fashola in 2008. That initiative left such a deep impression on me that, to this day, I find it nearly impossible to litter. No matter how small the trash in my hand, I hold onto it until I find a bin—whether outside or at home. On rare occasions, I dispose of biodegradable waste like paper or edibles I snack on in gutters, but never plastic or anything non-degradable.

Now to the point of this rant: Why are Nigerians so frustratingly careless when it comes to waste disposal? It baffles me daily. I watch people wind down their car windows to fling entire plastic bottles onto the streets, gutters, and sidewalks without a second thought. Every time I step outside, I witness this behavior over and over again—so normalized that no one even bats an eye. It’s not just uneducated people doing this; even well-dressed, seemingly refined young men and women casually toss trash out of moving danfos, BRT's and private cars.

And then there’s the excuse I hear all the time: “Well, the government hasn’t provided enough public bins.” Fair enough, but how hard is it to hold onto a piece of trash for a few extra minutes until you find a bin? I’ve done this a million times—it’s inconvenient sometimes, sure, but it’s not impossible. It all boils down to discipline and respect for the environment you live in.

But here’s the thing—even those who do throw their trash in bins still somehow manage to do it wrong. Have you ever walked past a public dustbin and seen trash scattered all around it? Some people don’t even bother to push their waste inside; they just dump it near the bin, as if the ground around it is an extension of the bin itself. And when the bin gets full, what happens? They keep stacking garbage on top like it’s a balancing game, until the wind or rain scatters it everywhere again.

How many people actually think, "This bin is full, let me look for another one” or “Let me bring out a garbage bag to contain the overflow”? Almost nobody. Because as long as they can say, “Well, I threw my trash in the right place”, they feel no responsibility for the mess.

And that’s the deeper issue—too many Nigerians live with a bare minimum mentality. We only do the absolute least required to feel good about ourselves, never going an inch beyond that. We blame the government for everything, yet we refuse to make the smallest effort to improve our own surroundings.

Have you ever noticed how quickly Nigerians will transform their own personal space into something clean and presentable? Their houses, their cars, their offices—immaculate. But once they step outside, they suddenly lose all sense of responsibility. “It’s not my business,” “It’s not my property,” “Government should fix it.” Well this is one of the reasons why our streets are filthy, why our public spaces are decaying, and why, despite all the potential in this country, we still live in dysfunction.

The way we dispose of our waste is a direct reflection of who we are as individuals and, collectively, as a society. Compare Nigeria—where littering is second nature—to countries where people make a conscious effort to dispose of waste properly. The difference is stark. Nigeria is already difficult to live in; must we add filth to the misery? Imagine how much more bearable life here would be if our streets weren’t drowning in garbage.

If you’re guilty of careless littering, I urge you to make a conscious effort to change. Start by holding onto your trash until you find a bin. If a bin is full, don’t just dump your waste on top—find another bin or secure the trash properly. If you see overflowing garbage, take the initiative to add a bag or encourage others to dispose of their waste properly. These little things matter.

Once you practice this consistently, it becomes second nature. Small actions like this ripple into something bigger. Let’s do better. Abeg.

Well said my friend.

I would also like to say that the level of deterioration in the mindset of the average Nigerian has gone beyond what can be managed by words.
The general mindset is I can do whatever I want, even if it is wrong (after all, who will hold me responsible?). This is a result of a degenerate mindset, which has happened over time through looseness in education, enforcement of laws/regulations, as well as a culture of bribery and corruption fostered on by irresponsible governments.

That's why people do such things with such impunity. Many of them will outright insult you for suggesting the need for cleanliness. I have noticed this in waste disposal and other areas like driving, queueing, pissing in public places, maintenance of public property etc. Beyond this population however, there are many people who are ignorant of the negative impact of their deeds on the environment and society. There are others yet who know that what they are doing is wrong, but they have no avenue to do right, so they do the wrong anyway (against their conscience) e.g. holding refuse for miles, and finding out in the end that you still have no disposal bin to use.

Each of these groups must be catered for through correct education, re-education, exemplification, regulation, and enforcement of the given regulations. Alas, these cannot be done by the people who are in bondage to a depraved mindset. Only a RESPONSIBLE government can undertake proper education of its people. Those who have been educated before need to be correctly re-educated. Then laws/regulations will be created, which a proper enforcement agency will ister.

We are humans, and psychologically, depravity grows in the absence of discipline. Hence, the need for strong external stimuli to combat the growing depravity. The only other bodies that can bring proper regulation by demonstrating 'good example' to the public are religious places, particularly the Church. And this will require proper demonstration by their leaders.

So you see, it will take responsible leadership to model (through education, exemplification, and discipline) good standards to its people.

If you have read from 3rd world to 1st by Lee Kwan Yew, you will understand that good behaviour is essentially modelled from top to bottom in a nation. Empowerment without behavioural training will result in waste. You will have noticed this in our maintenance culture. And this will keep happening until we have a leadership that can 'train' its people to be responsible. Only then will the mannerlessness and wastefulness end.

Yes, the discipline will be resisted or protested initially, but in the end, it will be for the good of the Nation.

This is a topic that touches my heart, that's why I have responded extensively.

May God give us good leaders.

Judges 21:25 "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

The one that baffles me is that is that there is a dustbin in front of my house, I will come out and see people throw waste just few yards away from the trash bin. After seeing this happens consistently, I gave up that Nigerians are redeemable.

I just wanted to add that, while this is not an endorsement on not keeping a discipline habit of zero littering policy and responsible waste disposal, do you know that even when you have done all you can, you have these scavengers come scatter overflowing or well staked or sealed waste in order to access their finds and leave the place as if the waste was irresponsibly disposed it in the first instance?


There are also loose cattle moving around and tearing up well staked, bagged, or sealed waste.


This two instances is the highlight the impact of failure of regulation on the part of government.

To hasten a better orientation for the country as a whole all components must be responsible, whether individual, corporate, government or otherwise. Everything thing here now hinges back to the judiciary.


The judiciary is weak, slow and endorsing all these discord by its inactions else there would have been very perceivable order in all strata of citizenry as regards this simple cases suck as waste handling at the elementary level.

🌺

I think the government should give a penalty to anyone littering the environment by doing that their head will correct...

Some place in oke odo,iyana ipaja and oshodi isn't appealing at all...

It baffles me to see the reckless waste disposal habits of some adults!

I can't understand why adults would behave in such a way.

They don't even think about the serious environmental damage their actions can cause!

You should all as well that of the dirty Nigerians are equally working in the various government offices, so oh...

This is an opportunity to create waste recycling business.
We should learn to turn a problem into business opportunities

donleo92:
Them no born you well to throwaway something for lekki.

^^^


It must be another lekki. Certainly not the one in Lagos.

donleo92:
But you can throw stuffs away in areas like kwara and kogi and nobody go send you. Why? Causes it's obtainable in that environment

^^^


Kwara and Kogi people, over to you.

I don't think being wealthy has anything to do with civilization. Being civil is a way of life. You can also call it "discipline!"

GloriousGbola:


wealth or maybe the appearance of wealth does not translate to common sense.

i regularly see people in expensive vehicles casually throwing bottles to the road

sometimes all you need to do is look for the dustbin - esp in a shopping mall. but if training dont dey, it dont dey

Love800:
I don't think being wealthy has anything to do with civilization. Being civil is a way of life. You can also call it "discipline!"

yes, but it looks much worse when somone steps down from a late model landcruiseer and starts pissing in the street. i mean, i can expect that from an okada rider

SeverusSnape:
Talk from now till tomorrow, It doesn't change the fact that most Nigerians are nonchalantly untidy.

I don't think we are, rather, our environment has made us so. The society cultivated by the Nigerian government is one that engenders lawlessness. This is why when the same Nigerians migrate to countries with strict laws and orders, they act accordingly.

Indoctrination is the key, religions have successfully used this, even terrorists disguising as religious following.

lordm:
Good topic, Nigerians are very dirty

Even USA is dirty though not as much.