LASG Signs MOU With Lafarge Africa On Collection Of Non Recyclable Combustible Waste
… Emphasises Need To Pay Special Attention To Waste Conversion
The Lagos State Government on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with LAFARGE Africa PLC for the collection of non-recyclable combustible waste around the state and landfill sites for conveyance to the Ewekoro plant of LAFARGE for conversion as an alternative fuel for production.
Speaking during the signing ceremony which took place at Alausa, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab appraised the new agreement, reiterating the commitment of the present administration to continually reduce the quantum of waste that gets to landfills, ultimately leading to zero waste landfill sites.
Wahab reiterated that the state government is determined to continually pay special attention to waste conversion in the state. He stressed that the collaboration between Lagos State and LAFARGE Africa will help achieve the ultimate objective of a zero waste situation and reduce the quantum of the quantity of waste that ends up at landfill sites across the state.
“It’s a symbiotic relationship, we have the waste, you have the use for it and waste is not waste until it is tagged as waste; there is always value in it globally; this will go a long way to help us reduce waste generated in Lagos State and also go to the landfills, we thank LAFARGE and we are ready to put everything in it to support the process, he said.
The Commissioner recalled that the Lagos Government, in the recent past, had also signed an MOU to help decommission existing Landfills, an MOU to convert waste to energy, and an MOU with a Dutch company to take off electronic waste, adding that these processes are embarked upon deliberately and methodically.
” We believe that climate change issues are real-life issues, and if this generation fails to address it frontally, we may not have this continent in the next few years, and the signs are all over. We can choose to play the ostrich, but it will affect us all,” he said.
He mentioned that flooding is a global phenomenon in countries, cities, and nations that before now never witnessed flooding and are being challenged by the global scourge, adding that for those in the West, winter is excessively cold, and their summer is extremely hot, and these are global warming effects explained in the most elementary way.
The Commissioner emphasised that everyone has a duty to the earth to make it better and save the earth from going under, saying that a sustainable path to address it is the only way out. “We are addressing the issues of waste frontally in the states. Waste sorting is a culture, and it is a culture that you must imbibe and build over time; the separation of waste is here to stay. Plastics must be in this particular bin, paper must be in a different bin. All these are part of the culture that we must build and we are determined to do it”. he said
Earlier in his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of LAFARGE, Mr. Lolu Alade-Akinyemi explained that with the signing of the MOU, Lafarge Africa intends to collect waste from companies and Lagos State dumpsites and divert them to the Ewekoro Plant as an alternative fuel for production, adding that managing waste effectively was critical to environmental stewardship, community wellbeing and long term economic development.
He noted that the partnership will strengthen Lafarge Africa’s leadership in sustainable construction and climate action and provide both parties with an opportunity to make meaningful contributions to sustainable waste management in Nigeria.
He further revealed that the MoU’s benefits are wide-ranging, including the availability of reliable alternative fuel sources, cost efficiency, regulatory compliance, and alignment with ESG goals.
“We have successfully deployed waste-to-energy solutions globally, and today, we are extending that expertise to Lagos. The waste sourced through this partnership will be utilised as an alternative fuel in our cement kilns, replacing fossil fuels, reducing our carbon footprint, and contributing to Nigeria’s decarbonisation journey,” he said.
The Managing Director, LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbedegesin in his remarks, noted that the partnership will address a lot of waste issues, adding that the state will surely tell a remarkable story not just for the African continent, but for the entire world because of what the partnership aims to achieve which will be to the benefit of all.
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