Lagos pledges support for Zero Waste Parliament

She noted that “this collaborative effort is crucial for promoting circular economy practices, conserving our natural resources, and protecting public health. We commend the dedication of our partners and participants, and we reaffirm our commitment to supporting this movement.

Let's work together to create a cleaner, greener environment for all, and inspire others to join the movement. Together, we can make a difference and create a more sustainable future for Lagos."

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Also speaking, Clean Air Program Manager for Global Alliance for Incenirator Alternatives and then the Breakthrough from Plastic Movement in Africa. Weyinmi Okotie said: “I would say there are two distinct things that have happened in the event.  CODAF organised a zero-waste parliament program that brings relevant stakeholders in the waste management sector to come and understand what CODAF is doing.  It's not like we're just speaking about zero waste, but what we are doing practically for people to see and possibly scale up. And also acknowledging efforts from the government and how we think we can improve better, and also speaking about a just transition, even looking at my presentation, one, diverting organic waste from landfills and also from trying to reduce plastic pollution or manage plastic pollution. And then ensuring a just transition whereby, as we are moving into a greener way of managing waste,  even the informal waste pickers should not be left behind.

“We can find a way to formally integrate them into the system.  We can all agree that it provides some services to our society.  Yeah, but it just needs to be regulated properly.”

Continuing, he said: “Secondly, we launched a report called our plastic brand audit report, whereby we have been doing cleanup exercises, but not just cleanup exercises and dumping dumpsites.  But really understand this plastic that we just got from a motor park, from a bush, from a school that was just littered everywhere. Where did it come from?  And as we mentioned in these events, most often, the focus has been on individuals or governments. What about the people producing it.  In the SDGs, we have what we call responsible production.

 ''Like I said, we are struggling to keep pace with the plastic we already have.  And then the plastic industry plans to increase production times three.  So if they can do that, no matter how much we engage in recycling, it will just be too much for us. Like I said in my presentation, zero waste is about waste minimisation.  As long as we live, waste will always be generated, but how can we curb it? Imagine if the entire waste that goes to the Olusosun dumpsite is just 10%. It will be easier for lawma to manage it.”

Okotie pointed out that 45 to 60% of the “waste that we generated,  is not even picked up or managed properly.

 “Like when I say managed properly, I'm not dumping away. So with all of this, a lot can be done.  First of all, we need to check on the source, the guys who are producing it.

''And this also calls out their names so that they know, some of them have plastic policies, environmental policies,  then they need to look again. We are seeing plastics around. We need to call them out to reduce plastic production.”

CODAF's Program Manager, Melody Enyinnaya, said the organisation is working in synergy with the Lagos State government because most of “our activities are in line with what the state is doing. So, the only thing is that we just have to upscale what the CSO groups are doing. We need to bring in  community-led solutions  in everything we are doing.”

Speaking on the success of the organisation's project in Epe, she said: “We have seen that we can do all of this,  even without spending much. We don't spend money to do this. But when we go and invest in first solutions, like the waste-to-energy plants that the government was planning on doing,  you find out that we are going to be spending more money to put this plant in place, and then at the end of the day, we are polluting our environment. So, if done in a community way, there will be no pollution, and we are empowering the community.  Like that facility currently employs Epe youths. It has also empowered people there because we are giving them information  and also building their knowledge around a lot of things.”