Plastic Pollution: Lagos Waste Management Agency to adopt Recycling

The Lagos State Waste Management Authority LAWMA says it is LAWMA is engaging recycling as a veritable tool to tackle the challenge of plastic pollution.

This comes as the state generates about 13,000 metric tonnes of waste daily, with plastic materials constituting 17%.

The Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Ibrahim Odumboni, stated that recycling initiative for waste management had gained traction, since the inception of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration, with the number of recycling companies operating in the state growing from only three to 78.

He said that since the launch of the recycling initiative by the Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the agency has grown from three recycling companies to 78 recycling companies and still counting.

“We currently have more than 600 aggregators, and over 6,000 jobs created in the sector so far. So you can see that we’ve started a movement and a growth. It’s over two years now and the progress that is being made is enormous,” Odumboni said.

The LAWMA boss reiterated the massive impact of recycling on the lives of many citizens, with the creation of jobs to alleviate unemployment challenges, and the positive impact on environmental sustainability, adding that more opportunities would still be created.

He further announced that the agency, as part of efforts to expand the recycling initiative, would partner with a Group on a project to convert waste to chemical, aimed at reducing the environmental impact caused by plastic waste in the state.

He called on corporate organisations, to join forces with the Authority, to create awareness among residents on the need to be actively involved in recycling, with attendant benefits for the people and the environment.

Residents are encouraged to call LAWMA toll-free numbers: 07080601020 and 617 (for GLO users) for inquiries on recycling and waste management related issues in Lagos, Nigeria,

Reward for residents
Odumbomi also said from April 2022, residents who comply in the proper sorting of their waste would get reduction in waste bills.

He stressed the need for waste sorting for residents and mentioned that there would be an increase in the waste bills for residents who refuse to comply.

“From April, you will get reduction in your waste bill if you sort your waste at source and vice versa if you don’t. I am appealing to estates, companies and all residents to comply. What we face in Lagos is challenging. In fact, Lagos is 5th largest economy in Africa; and population wise, we have over 25 million people living in the city. Scientifically, we’ve estimated that each individual generates about 0.69 kg daily. That’s what we are dealing with over 13,000 metric tonnes of wastes daily; seventeen percent of those are plastic related wastes,” he said.

Nneka Ukachukwu