The Lagos State government (LASG) has called on residents to embrace a circular economy to reduce wastage, saying that it was critical to ensuring a sustainable society and a healthy environment.
This was stated by Fola Dania, Chief Resilience Officer, Lagos State Resilience Office (LASRO), and Dolapo Fasawe, General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, (LASEPA), at a forum on facilitating the transition to a circular economy and building an environmentally-resilient Lagos.
Speaking at the event, Dania said: “Lagos State produces about 14,000 metric tonnes of waste per day. We are propagating how to turn this around in ways that are good for the climate, health, and people. We are putting in place structures that would ensure that we reduce waste to the barest minimum through recycling. That is what circular economy is about.”
“We want to ensure that no waste gets to the dumpsite. We can reduce plastic waste. We can reduce waste in landfills, flooding, and emissions that go into the atmosphere from the burning of plastics. We can achieve a reduction in air pollution and live in a healthy environment.”
Dania explained that a number of projects have been embarked upon to kickstart the full implementation process, listing projects like the Eko Circular Podcast aimed at educating residents, the Circular Lagos Challenge for business owners to help Lagos achieve the set goals, and several other multi-agency projects.
Similarly, Fasawe said the circular economy is “when everybody’s waste is somebody’s raw material.”
According to him, plastic is bad when it is not properly disposed of and it has the tendency to clog drainages and cause flooding. He also maintained that when plastic is used, it should be recycled. “People, Planet, Profit: that’s the key message of a circular economy and environmental sustainability, if you are using non-biodegradable plastic, please reuse it, refurbish it, you can use it up to ten times and then recycle it.”
“There are off-takers who will take your plastic and exports in pellets to China and use it in making chairs that would be brought back and sold here in Nigeria, that’s an example of a circular economy,” he concluded.
At the same event, Nonny Ugboma, Executive Director, Nondunna Ltd., and the Consultant engaged by the State to facilitate Circular economy and Resilience said that Lagos, with a population of more than 20 million, has a great potential to promote a circular economy. She announced that three Council areas, namely; Ikeja, Alimosho, and Oshodi had been chosen as pilots for the Circular Economy transition process.
