By Folashade Kadiri
Driving through the city of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, one cannot fail to observe the practical steps taken by Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s government to establish environmental sustainability in the state.
According to the blueprint of the T.H.E.M.E.S. Under an agenda introduced by Mr. Governor when he took office in 2019, the state prioritized cleanliness and environmental sustainability.
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) is at the forefront of the government’s drive to create a cleaner and more livable environment for Lagos residents.
The agency has implemented various programs and initiatives since the inception of the current government, all of which have been instrumental in helping the state achieve its environmental goals.
One of LAWMA’s key initiatives to combat the threat of indiscriminate landfilling and plastic pollution is recycling.
In 2019, the agency launched the Blue Box program, which later morphed into the Lagos Recycle Initiative, which aimed to encourage source segregation of waste for recycling purposes.
Massive media advertising campaigns have been undertaken to educate residents about the need to embrace recycling as a way of life.
Also in the last year, the number of recycling companies in the state has grown from three to 100, with the creation of over 12,500 jobs.
Commenting on the recent traction of recycling in Lagos State, the Agency’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni says:
“Since Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu launched the recycling initiative, we have grown from three recycling companies to 100 recycling companies, and counting.
We currently have more than 600 aggregators and created over 12,500 industry jobs to date.
So you can see that we have started a movement and a growth.
It has now been over two years and the progress that is being made is tremendous.”
What LAWMA is doing in recycling deserves the support of everyone and everyone.
Lagos, with a population of over 20 million people, is said to generate around 13,000 tons of waste every day, with plastic materials accounting for 17% of the waste.
Imagine dumping those huge amounts in the landfill.
As a result, there may not be a landfill to dispose of them at.
For this reason, LAWMA has used recycling as a veritable tool to ensure that the scenario described above does not occur.
The recycling initiative has not only been useful in addressing environmental issues in the state, but has also been used to create jobs for the unemployed.
This has had a massive impact on the lives of many citizens, thereby alleviating the challenges of unemployment as over 12,500 such jobs have been created to date.
Regarding the agency’s plan to consolidate recycling efforts, Odumboni announced that LAWMA already has plans to set up 114 recycling collection centers in all Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos had completed the end of the year.
The LAWMA chief added that a $65 million bottle-to-bottle recycling facility, built by a private company in partnership with the agency, will soon be operational on 16 acres of land along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.
The agency, in partnership with PAKAM Technology, has also launched the PAKAM App 2.0, an all-in-one waste management software application that connects residents with recyclers to share their recyclable items in real time.
Launched during the recent 3rd Anniversary celebrations of the Lagos Recycle Initiative, the revamped app would go a long way in encouraging households to embrace the opportunities presented by the seamless integration of technology to meet the challenges of addressing waste management in the state.
LAWMA, with government support, relentlessly explores all avenues to maximize the inherent possibilities of recycling, which has brought numerous environmental and economic benefits, turned waste into wealth, and provided a livelihood to many who without work were a nuisance in society.
There is no doubt that the Lagos recycling initiative is still a work in progress and will only get better with time.
The good news is that heaps of rubbish are quickly disappearing from the Lagos landscape and all the well-meaning residents are applauding.
While that doesn’t mean Eldorado is there yet, the signs are obviously good and it’s only a matter of time before we get there.
To maintain and surpass momentum, Lagos residents must come to terms with the importance of an improved environmental habit.
If we consciously choose to act in a way that could endanger the environment, we are the ones who would most certainly bear the consequences of such actions.
What is required to maintain a healthy and friendly environment depends not only on what the government does, but also on people’s attitudes.
Lagosians must stop all practices that could jam the wheel of the government’s waste management efforts. Everyone must be willing to adopt a positive attitude towards waste management.
Residents are advised to call the LAWMA toll-free hotline 07080601020 to report waste management issues in their areas.
Ours is still a work in progress and with the support of all residents and stakeholders in the state we will realize the vision of the Sanwo Olu administration to achieve a greater Lagos area.
All hands must be on deck to achieve a cleaner, healthier, more prosperous and more livable Lagos of our dreams. Together we can achieve this!
Folashade Kadiri is Director of Public Affairs at LAWMA.
