Kunle Awosiyan
With over $7 billion being lost to circular economy annually, the Lagos State Government is set to turn its wastes to wealth and it is not leaving any stone unturned to realise this.
A new visitor to Lagos sees Olusosun dumpsite as heaps of wastes but Lagos government sees it as heaps of wastes, which in the nearest future should add to the state’s Internally Generated Income, that stands at N50 billion monthly at present.
Successive administrations in the state had failed to convert wastes to wealth due to so many reasons, including lack of local and foreign investors with modern technology in circular economy.
However, the present administration of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Oluis poised in making good money from wastes as he prepares to begin his second term on May 29.
A few days ago, the Lagos State Government held a stakeholders workshop to review the preliminary report on gaps and needs assessment for Suggestions and recommendations towards moving the waste management process to circularity.
Speaking during the Stakeholders meeting held at the LCCI building, Alausa, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Omobolaji Tajudeen said the meeting was aimed at facilitating the implementation of prioritized high impact actions towards achieving the goals of the Lagos Climate Action Plan.
He stressed that it had been proved that Lagos generates over 13,000 Tonnes per day of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) which amounts to over 4.5 TPA (Tonnes Per Day) with a high greenhouse gas emission rate.
He added that the amount of waste generated has demanded a concerted effort on the part of the State government and the citizens to effectively manage waste as well as convert and recycle these waste to other useful resources.
Gaji said the report of the gaps and needs assessment undertaken by an environmental consultant will be laid bare at the workshop for discussion and suggestions in order to improve the waste management system in the State.
“It is my expectation that this assessment will assist the State Government to successfully achieve a diversion of organic waste from landfill, create jobs from recyclables and also reduce the Greenhouse gas emission from the current 25% to lower percentage ratio, He said.
While thanking partners from C40 Cities for facilitation of Technical assistance through the Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Africa Programme, Gaji said the initiative would come handy in developing the states capacity to effectively implement the Lagos Climate Action Plan.
He urged all participants to actively share their insights and experiences adding that it was only through collaborative effort that innovative solutions to address the gaps in our waste management system can be achieved.
Recall that a study by World Bank shows that Lagos State loses $7 billion annually for not recycling its waste, especially the plastic wastes generated cross the metropolis.
Our correspondent observed that individuals now visit dumpsites across the states to pick plastic bottles, pack it and transport out of Lagos.
At Kara on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, our correspondent observed loads of plastic bottles picked by people, mostly northerners to be transported out of Lagos.
Some of them who spoke to our correspondent said that they bought it from dustmen who scavenge the dumpsites to pick the bottles.
It was gathered that may of these plastic bottles were sold to some recycle factories outside Lagos. The plastic bottles are recycled to nylons by most factories.
Reacting to the plans of Lagos to go fully into circular economy and also regulate the movement of plastic wastes in the state, the General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dr. Dolapo Fasawe said that the agency recently had a one-day workshop on circular economy organisedin collaboration with United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO, the Federal government and other organised private sectors.
According to her, circular economy is the type of economy in which wastes are recycled and turned to wealth.
She said that Nigeria by 2025 will be the largest producer of plastic waste, therefore, there is an urgent need to step up the activities in recycling and practicing a circular economy. “Once the plastic is used, it should not just be deposited anywhere. It can be reused, recycled, rethought and reduced to something else because plastic is not degradable”.
She said “And when we say economic and plastic, it means that there’s a lot of money that can be made out of plastic waste. A study done by the World Bank a few years ago shows that the cost of not practicing a circular economy in plastic waste is about 7 billion dollars just for Lagos State. We are losing 7 billion dollars annually; and the essence of this workshop is to invite investors to join us in this advocacy for recycling, reusing and creating industries, job opportunities and more importantly a cleaner environment. You will not see these plastics on the road again if we put this approach of the circular economy on plastic waste”.
In the light of this, Fasawe announced that the state would be partnering with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to advocate and deepen the value chain in the circular economy.
She stated that the workshop was designed to broaden the knowledge of the participants and stakeholders about the economic benefits of adopting friendly lifestyles as well as a holistic approach towards achieving the goals of a circular economy.
The UNIDO National Programme Coordinator, Mr. OluyomiBanjo, disclosed that UNIDO was pleased to work and achieve a circular economy in Lagos, adding that this would set the stage for other states in Nigeria as well as other regions in Africa.
He declared that to achieve the aim of the project, Lagos state would be developing its action plan on the circular economy of plastics in Nigeria and also embark on some activities with UNIDO and other relevant stakeholders.
“We will bring everybody together to sensitise them on what circular economy is about; the benefits of a circular economy for the environment, socially and economically. The private sector would be encouraged to be more productive and efficient to make more profit. We will also look at the informal sector to see how we can incorporate them in achieving this, knowing that we cannot achieve this without the informal sector”, Banjo said.
Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LAWMA, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, reaffirmed the commitment of the government to promoting the reuse and recycling of plastics in the State.
Odumboni said that LAWMA was partnering with Polysmart, one of the largest plastic recyclers in Africa on converting many tonnes of plastic waste in the state to reusable products.
According to him, the authority is enforcing its adopt-a-bin policy to inculcate the value of waste separation at the source.
He also hinted that LASEPA, LAWMA and some other agencies of government had banned the use of single-use plastics in their offices to lead by example.
Earlier, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, expressed gratitude to the UNIDO delegation for partnering with the state government on the circular economy.
Bello, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Omobolaji Gaji, pledged the support of the government to the success of the project.