By Awyetu Asabe Hope
The Lagos State Government has begun consultations with communities in Badagry and Agbowa-Ikosi-Ejirin ahead of plans to establish material recovery facilities to boost recycling and reduce waste sent to landfills.
The facilities, proposed for Erekiti in Badagry and Agbowa in Ikosi-Ejirin, are being developed in partnership with Zoomlion as part of efforts to manage the more than 13,000 tonnes of municipal waste generated daily in the state.
The Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Dr Gaji Tajudeen, disclosed this recently at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Adeyemi-Bero Auditorium, Alausa.
Tajudeen said the volume of waste generated in Lagos required a shift from mere collection and disposal to recovering materials for reuse.
He said the proposed facilities would sort, process and recover recyclable materials while creating employment and skills development opportunities, particularly for youths and women.
The Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the facilities would handle the receipt, sorting, processing and recovery of materials such as plastics, metals, paper and organic waste for reuse.
Gbadegesin added that the facilities would reduce the volume of waste transported to landfills and complement the state’s waste-to-wealth, waste-to-energy and resource recovery initiatives.
He said the projects would also create economic value from materials that would otherwise be discarded.
The Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau, Kamar Olowoshago, said the bureau would facilitate land-related processes, including the enumeration of properties that could be affected by the projects.
Traditional rulers in the proposed host communities, the Abowa of Agbowa-Ikosi, Oba Owolabi Monson, and the Baale of Igoro Erekiti, Chief Kayode Abila, endorsed the projects and urged the government to commence construction promptly.
The Managing Director of Zoomlion, Habiba Abubakar, said the project would strengthen public-private collaboration in sustainable waste management, with the company providing technical expertise.
The state government said the consultations were aimed at addressing community concerns and establishing a framework for residents’ participation as the projects progress.
