Waste in public places

SAMPLE 1: “Lagos is a megacity with a large population that generates a lot of wastes. This was the reason the state government established the waste management authority (LAWMA) to manage the huge wastes generated daily across the state. According to officials over 14,000 metric tonnes (about 490 trailer loads) of solid wastes is generated within the state daily. Most of the wastes end up in different dumpsites located at Igando in Alimosho…Then the wastes are gathered in different categories…” (Living Inside the Dumpsite of Death, Sunday Vanguard, 31 March, 2019)

I draw your attention to the word wastes which occurs five times in the excerpt. In each of those five appearances, the word occurs in its plural form. This is an error, for the word waste normally occurs in its singular, non-count form in the sense in which it is used in this context.

Here are some of the contexts in which the word occurs (in its plural form) in the excerpt: a lot of wastes; huge wastes generated daily; solid wastes; most of the wastes; the wastes are gathered.

However, the reporter seems unsure whether to use the singular or plural form of the verb relative to the word (waste) he has consistently pluralized. Examples: wastes is generated (singular verb is); the wastes end up (plural verb, end); wastes are gathered (plural verb, are).

As we have pointed out, the word waste in the sense in which it is being used here always occurs in the singular. The following sentences illustrate the usage: 1) The waste generated by the city every week is dumped into a huge pit. 2) The huge waste is already decomposing. 3) Waste is usually recycled in advanced countries of the world. 4) If waste is allowed to pile up and decay, it may constitute health hazard. 5) The waste is removed every week.

Let us note that the word refuse is usually used synonymously with waste. Like waste, it is used with the singular form of the verb. The following sentences illustrate the usage of the noun refuse: 1) The refuse is dumped there early in the morning. 2) The refuse is removed by those who are paid to do so. If it is not removed, the contractors will be penalized. 3) The refuse is not supposed to be burnt. It is meant to be buried. 4) The refuse is meant to be taken far away from living accommodation. It breeds bacteria that are harmful to human health. 5) Refuse is often used as raw material for the production of fertilizers. It is highly valued in the advanced countries of the world.

Both waste and refuse are invariably used in the singular sense. They should never be pluralized. Plural verbs should not be attached to them. They should not be modified or referred to by using plural pronouns: these, they, those, them.

Sample 2: “In a telephone chat with newsmen, one of the suspended cabinet members, Udemba also said that it was not in Obosi culture to wash their dirty linen in the  public, adding that for the Igwe to do such was a sign that a wrong person is on the throne.”(Alleged Dumping of Corpses in Igbo Monarch’s Palace, Sunday Vanguard, 7 April 2019)

I draw readers’ attention to the phrase in the public which occurs in the context, “wash their dirty linen in the public”. Let’s note especially the article the occurring immediately before the word public. That article, let us note, is semantically significant. Things are said or done in public and not in the public. As for the public, it means the populace or members of the society generally.

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The difference in usage between the public and in public is hereby illustrated: (1) The government has not been releasing the correct information to the public. (2) The address of the president was nothing short of an insult to the public. (3) We should be guided by the reactions of the public to the new policy. (4) Members of the public should be involved in the decision-making process. (5) How can the public sympathize with the government when it (the government) has not been sufficiently transparent in the management of the economy? (6) Members of the public deserve to know the truth, no matter how unpleasant it might be. (7) The government should avoid releasing any information that could offend the public. (8) The public had not fully recovered from the shock arising from the increase in the prices of petroleum products, when it was made to bear another burden of taxation. (9) Opinions of members of the public should count on matters affecting their welfare. (10) The public did not appreciate the efforts of this government to make life better for all citizens.

Now we illustrate the usage of the expression in public: (1) The entertainer has not appeared in public since his humiliation three months ago. (2) There are things public officers should not say or do in public. (3) The politician was accused of insulting his wife in public. (4) The actor sees nothing wrong in appearing nude in public. (5) The Minister was caught kissing his mistress in public. (6) You shouldn’t appear in public in this kind of dress. (7) The Director has not appeared in public since the EFCC’s threat to arrest him. (8) Their religion, they claim, forbids shaking hands in public. (9) Fighting in public is not considered an offence by members of that group. (10) In some cultures, housewives are not permitted to dance in public.

To repeat, there is a difference between the expressions in public and the public. It is not good English to say in the public, precisely because of the intrusive article the. These two expressions (in public and the public) should not be confused with the adjective public: (1) This information is not for public consumption. (2) Public officers should behave decently in public. (3) All human beings hate public disgrace. (4) She has not made any public appearance since last year. (5) Public institutions should not be personalized by government officials.