The Lagos State Government on Tuesday announced its partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to advocate and deepen the value chain in the circular economy.
The General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, disclosed this in her address at a one-day workshop on circular economy organised by the Agency, in collaboration with UNIDO, the Federal government and other organised private sectors.
She stated that the workshop was designed to broaden the knowledge of the participants and stakeholders about the economic benefits of adopting friendly lifestyles as well as a holistic approach towards achieving the goals of a circular economy.
In her words: “The truth is Nigeria by 2025 will be the largest producer of plastic waste, therefore, there is an urgent need to step up our activities in recycling and practicing a circular economy. Once the plastic is used, it should not just be deposited anywhere. It can be reused, recycled, rethought and reduced to something else because plastic is not degradable”.
“And when we say economic and plastic, it means that there’s a lot of money that can be made out of plastic waste. A study done by the World Bank a few years ago shows that the cost of not practicing a circular economy in plastic waste is about 7 billion dollars just for Lagos State. We are losing 7 billion dollars annually; and the essence of this workshop is to invite investors to join us in this advocacy for recycling, reusing and creating industries, job opportunities and more importantly a cleaner environment. You will not see these plastics on the road again if we put this approach of the circular economy on plastic waste”, she added
The UNIDO National Programme Coordinator, Mr. Oluyomi Banjo, disclosed that UNIDO was pleased to work and achieve a circular economy in Lagos, adding that this would set the stage for other states in Nigeria as well as other regions in Africa.
He declared that to achieve the aim of the project, Lagos state would be developing its action plan on the circular economy of plastics in Nigeria and also
embark on some activities with UNIDO and other relevant stakeholders.
“We will bring everybody together to sensitise them on what circular economy is about; the benefits of a circular economy for the environment, socially and economically. The private sector would be encouraged to be more productive and efficient to make more profit. We will also look at the informal sector to see how we can incorporate them in achieving this, knowing that we cannot achieve this without the informal sector”, Banjo said.
Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LAWMA, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, reaffirmed the commitment of the government to promoting the reuse and recycling of plastics in the State.
Odumboni said that LAWMA was partnering with Polysmart, one of the largest plastic recyclers in Africa on converting many tonnes of plastic waste in the state to reusable products.
According to him, the authority is enforcing its adopt-a-bin policy to inculcate the value of waste separation at the source.
He also hinted that LASEPA, LAWMA and some other agencies of government had banned the use of single-use plastics in their offices to lead by example.
Earlier, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, expressed gratitude to the UNIDO delegation for partnering with the state government on the circular economy.
Bello, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Omobolaji Gaji, pledged the support of the government to the success of the project.
