LAWMA MD HINTS AT PLANS TO BAN TEXTILE WASTE FROM LANDFILLS

The Managing Director/CEO of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, has hinted at plans to ban textile waste at all landfills across the state, noting that it is a valuable resource that can be recycled to earn income.

He made this disclosure at the Lagos Fashion Week, organised by Style House Files, in collaboration with the Circular Business Platform and the Office of the Lagos State Special Adviser on Climate Change and Circular Economy, held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island.

Speaking on the theme, “Fostering a Sustainable Fashion Ecosystem,” as part of the Nigeria-Netherlands Exchange Programme for a circular fashion industry, Gbadegesin emphasised that addressing textile waste was crucial for building a more sustainable and equitable fashion industry, given that it is an essential component of the 13,000 metric tonnes of waste generated daily in the state.

He said: “Having discovered the significant environmental impact of textile waste dumped at our landfills, which comprises about 8 percent of the waste deposited, along with its contribution to resource depletion, and the potential for creating economic and social benefits through sustainable solutions like recycling, upcycling, and responsible consumption, we have decided to ban textile waste at all our landfills. This will take effect in three months.

“We are already in partnership with Tejuosho Market in Yaba, where we will collect the waste and transfer it to companies involved in textile recycling. At LAWMA, we believe in practicing what we preach, and we’ve demonstrated this through the students who have come to learn waste management at the LAWMA Academy. Before their graduation, they learned upcycling with textile waste, producing beautiful items from the waste. Our goal is to continue advocating for sustainability practices, and we hope to engage in projects that promote circularity,” he stated.

In his opening remarks, the Deputy Consul General of the Netherlands, Mr. Peter Keulers, commended LAWMA and Lagos State for their relentless efforts in keeping the state clean.

In a related development, the LAWMA boss described public-private partnerships as the cornerstone of the agency’s activities.

He made this statement as a panelist on the topic “Public-Private Partnerships for Environmental Solutions” at the Fresh Perspectives Event 2024, organised by Betaglass Plc, in Victoria Island.

Reflecting on LAWMA’s successful partnerships and their impacts, Gbadegesin noted that public-private partnerships had helped the Authority fulfill its mandate, driving more innovations in the waste management sector.

“For us in LAWMA, everything we do is through partnerships. As you all know, we manage the waste of over 22 million people in the state. One of our most successful partnerships is with the hundreds of PSP operators who help us collect waste from households and companies. We are also in partnership with nearly a thousand cleaning companies, managing thousands of street sweepers. These sweepers work tirelessly every day. They are our heroes,” he stressed.

The LAWMA boss further stated that several Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partnerships, initiated by both private and public organizations, have resulted in the donation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and uniforms for sweepers.

“Here in LAWMA, we have a department in charge of partnerships, and they have been doing fantastic work. We have partnered with some banks to adopt streets, where they donate uniforms for the sweepers maintaining those routes. The Authority recently partnered with a waste-to-energy firm, and we are establishing a waste-to-energy plant in Epe. We are also in partnership with Zoomlion, a Ghanaian company, which will help us decommission the Olusosun dumpsite. We know there is great potential in partnerships that can foster job creation and a brighter future,” Gbadegesin added.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Betaglass, Mr. Alexandra Gendis, emphasized the need to support the creative aspirations of Nigerian youths to drive major economic emancipation.

Other dignitaries at the event included the Managing Director of Wecyclers, Mr. Wale Adebiyi; the General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dr. Babatunde Ajayi; and the head of Betaglass Plc, Ms. Sharin Sweet, among others.