Date: 2018-11-12

A non-governmental organisation, PickThatTrash, on Saturday went to some streets and markets in Ilorin, cleaning the environment and disposing of refuse in propagation of the culture of a clean and healthy environment.

Members of PickThatTrash emptied waste bins and picked refuse on roadsides from Challenge through Yoruba Road Market to the Kwara State Library to emphasise the need for sanitation.

The team swept and packed trash into a waiting waste collection truck provided by the state Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

The group embarked on the environmental sanitation in collaboration with Kwara Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

Some volunteers, impressed by the action, joined in the exercise.

The Leader of the team, Miss Baliqees Salaudeen, said that the NGO had carried out a similar exercise in three other states.

She said that there was the need for cleanliness for a healthy environment.

According to Salaudeen, PickThatTrash is a nationwide clean-up campaign to encourage waste disposal to safeguard the environment and promote health.

The team leader called for attitudinal change among Ilorin residents especially traders, urging that wastes should be disposed of in designated locations.

She said that residents should regularly keep their environments clean to prevent diseases.

The team leader said that a clean shop or market would attract more customers.

Salaudeen also called on governments, corporate organisations and well-meaning individuals to support "PickThatTrash" in mobilising citizens to manage their wastes well at homes, offices, neighbourhoods, communities and states for a clean Nigeria.