By Hauwa Ali
Recognizing the dollar value of Lagos’s trash, many entrepreneurs in in t state are venturing into recycling both as a way of making a living and as a way of helping the environment and impacting communities.
Waste recycling has proven to be one of the most effective ways to managing waste; preventing pollution, ensuring a clean and healthy environment and creating wealth like we see from advanced countries like Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany who have reached a zero waste mark through recover8y and recycling.
Thankfully awareness of the need to protect the environment from non-biodegradable waste is increasing —especially as it is evident that wastes are clogging waterways and gutters, leading to neighborhoods getting flooded during rains.
These entrepreneurs, turning waste materials into new, useful products are springing up to solve some percentage of the problem created on daily bases by people as they dump refuse anywhere they like exacerbating pollution and drainage problems.
One brave entrepreneur championing recycling in Lagos is Oliver Chinazaekere, an associate of Yabatech recycling centre where pet bottles, nylons,cartons and gallons are recycled into raw materials before being sold to manufacturers to make new products. He picks up trash from the environment directly, and also buys from waste pickers who recover the wastes from the environment.
“I started from maintenance of crushing machines and gradually I began to develop love for the business and stared thinking of becoming a boss of my own. I love the job, it gives me joy to pick trash from gutters because It is blocking it.”
Like Yabatech recycling centre, there are over 50 other recycling companies in Lagos who are impacting the environment and improving lives in their own little ways.
Yet, despite their perceived advantages, many of the Lagos recycling companies face a notable challenge with raising funds as the state government neither provide grants nor machines to encourage them.
“Government should provide funds for us to improve the business. There are a lot of us into the business and the government knows it. Rather than going to collect trash from people themselves, government should fund our business and provide enabling environment for the business to thrive. “ said Mary Alokwe, co-founder, Street Waste Company Limited.
‘BioEnergy Consult’ estimates that out of the millions of metric tonnes of waste generated every year in the country, only a fragment of it is being managed/recycled. What this means is that waste management issue is still a big problem and the business potentials of recycling are currently being under-utilised. There is need for more investment in the sector. There is there need for investors to industrialise the sector in order make more money from it.
Interestingly, Lagos is a model for other states in the country when it comes to municipal waste management. But the issue is still a big challenge for the Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) to manage alone. That is why the importance of the independent waste recyclers cannot be underestimated in reducing the burden of waste collection and disposal.
Investing in waste recycling and the technology that would ensure an effective management of waste, which will inevitably aid the recycling process, is just one wise way to create another job opportunity for thousands of jobless youths on the street.
But first, the government must invest in behavioural change. A holistic approach to combating solid waste would involve laws and more public campaigns/education especially in rural areas aimed at encouraging individuals, businesses and consumers to consider adopt recycling and other environmental-friendly alternatives.
It is true that generating waste is unavoidable, but if it is poorly managed the environment suffers, our climate is affected and every creature on earth is at risk.