By Yemi Olakitan
Former commissioner for environment in Ogun State and an expert in environmental development, Ola Oresanya has declared that Nigeria loses N10 billion annually due to an unorganised and unregulated plastic recovery management system.
He revealed this at the fourth edition of the Lagos Waste Forum, a high-level citizen forum on waste reduction and management taking place at NECA House, Alausa, Ikeja.
The event was organized by SWEEP Foundation.
Participants at the conference titled “Investing in Plastics Recovery Towards a Circular Economy,” included business leaders, government officials, members of civil society organisations, multinational corporations, and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The occasion saw certain organisations, such as Trashcon, Recycle Edge, Association of Carton and Waste Recycling Dealers of Nigeria, Association of Scraps and Waste Pickers of Lagos (ASWOL), and others who received awards for sustainability.
Oresanya bemoaned the fact that Nigerians have yet to comprehend the economic potential of recycling plastic waste.
He asserted that Nigeria produces 12 million tonnes of plastic annually, with each tonne costing between N250,000 and N300,000 on the local market but N1.2 million and N1.5 million on the international market.
He emphasised that there is a lot of money to be made and jobs to be created, “if we can enlist a new economic model that will help Nigeria realise its full potential.” He stated that the plastic recovery’s viability is quite flexible and can suit all investors to the greatest extent. “Nigeria can earn N16 billion yearly, but over the past two years, we have only generated N6 billion in annual income from recycling plastic.”
Speaking further, Oresanya noted that many Nigerians were leaving the country in search of greener pastures while passing up significant opportunities in the plastic recycling industry. He claimed that just in Ogun State alone, there are numerous Asian-run businesses engaged in plastic recycling, regretting the fact that some Nigerians were merely waste collectors.
“While our youth are leaving the country in pursuit of employment, Asians are assuming control of recycling in the nation. There are numerous recycling facilities, some of which recycle waste at least 1000 times every day, adding up to enormous sums of millions of naira.
“These are done by Asians who have mastered the art over the years with competence,” the former commissioner continued. According to him, some Nigerians are content to be collectors.
Ambassador Obuesi Phillips, the president and organiser of the Lagos Fuel Forum, declared that it was time for all hands to be on deck in order to effectively manage waste and reduce pollution.
Obuesi stated, “It is now critically necessary for us to collaboratively regulate pollution through waste management since we have a common future.
But without a common investment in adaptation and mitigation, how can we manage pollution and, consequently, wastes?
“Open conversations, information and resource sharing, as well as sustained advocacy, are necessary fertile grounds to drive anticipated investments in pollution control,” he said.
Coca-Cola’s Amaka Onyemelukwe, Director of Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability, asked for increased government support to enable fair policy and promote standardisation in the plastic recovery chain.
She mentioned Coca-Cola’s investment of $5 billion in the value chain and the expansion of plastic recovery efforts in some areas of the nation, saying that the necessity for more collecting facilities is essential. The government has a number of empty locations that may be used as collection points for business participants.
Dr. Essien Nsuabia, Director of Circular Economy for the Lagos State Wastes Management Authority (LAWMA), stated that his organisation does not take the subject of recycling and trash management lightly.
Nsuabia reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing a clean and safe environment for all Lagosians by stating that LAWMA has established two collection locations in Lagos and that efforts are ongoing to introduce 20 collection points in Lagos.
Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, Executive-Director, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), asserts that Nigerians must have a thorough understanding of recycling.
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“It’s important to plan ahead when it comes to recycling. If you have plastic waste piling up in your home, you cannot be whining about being broke.
“As you can see, this recycling will also deal with the problems of unemployment and poverty.
“You should compete in volumes rather than against yourself. This value chain will advance us if we all work together,” he remarked.
Odumboni additionally encouraged residents and landlord groups to safeguard the environment from careless rubbish disposal.
It is necessary to include the landlord associations. You must police yourself and solve the issue; you do not need to wait for the government.
“It’s time for us to all to quit acting uninformed. Even children are taught trash management in schools, and we are adults.”
“It is the attitude shift we want, whether it is beaten into our ears 200 times or not. The truth is that everyone ought to act morally, he said.
The future of recycling, according to Mr. Obi Nnanna, Chief Executive Officer of Kaltani, is in stakeholders’ mentality, recycling doesn’t begin and end in Lagos.
There is a guarantee that the recycling rate in Nigeria will rise if there are organisations dedicated to recycling in various parts of the country. It exists in all geopolitical zones.
“Recyclers from primary to tertiary level need education and awareness of the circular economy, waste management, and plastic recycling.
“It will go a long way towards addressing unemployment in Nigeria,” he remarked.
“Everyone should not simply jump on the recycling bandwagon, according to Dr. Ndidi Nnoli, chair of the Circular Economy Innovation Partnership. Instead, they should take the time to learn about it.”
“Recycling is nothing new, according to Nnoli, but it should be a continuous learning effort because the technology needed to do it is constantly changing.”
“Ask if the circular economy is a brand-new concept. Since using an ice cream bowl to store stew in the refrigerator, recycling has begun in every home.” “The new aspect of this endeavour is the technology. We always practice what we call “bend down Select” which is what they call “charity with clothes” abroad.
“How can we profit from it? You should be aware that it is a service as well as a product. More than simply plastics are involved.However, there is a lot of skill that can be learned so that you can profit from recycling. She said.
Nnoli stated that it was time for stakeholders to reflect internally and work together to find ways to promote recycling for the good of everybody.
As long as there is life, garbage will be produced, according to Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, General-Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA). For this reason, waste management must be done appropriately.
“Lagos has been shown to have waste potential. The circular economy is making it easier for Nigerians to understand how to use it.”
Dr. Adebola Odunsi, a Senior Special Technical Assistant, LASEPA, explained, “We need to look at what we think the problem is and build a directing policy document to redirect efforts towards innovation.”
According to Mr. Mazi Ukonu, President of the Recyclers Association of Nigeria and CEO of Recyclers Point, there needs to be political will to advance recycling regulations.”
“Yes, we need policies to direct us, but these policies also need to be driven by political will, which should be there.”
“Dialogues are also necessary in politics to identify problems and how to solve them so that what we do is sustainable. You need a plan to get things done,” he remarked.
