Lagos State wants to build a new recycling plant in Badagry to help manage the huge waste the state produces every day.
State officials met with community leaders in Alausa on Sunday to explain the plan. The meeting, held at the Adeyemi-Bero Auditorium, focused on a proposed material recovery facility in Erekiti, Badagry. News Digest reports that the project will be done in partnership with waste management company, Zoomlion.
Lagos generates more than 13,000 tonnes of waste daily. Officials say the old way of just packing and dumping refuse cannot continue.
“We can’t keep collecting waste and throwing it away,” said Dr Gaji Tajudeen, Permanent Secretary of the Office of Environmental Services. “We need a system that picks out what can be reused.”
Tajudeen told the gathering that the Badagry plant will sort waste, recover recyclables, and process them for reuse. He said the project will also create jobs and training opportunities, especially for women and young people in the area.
It is part of Lagos’ bigger plan to run a circular economy where materials are used again and again instead of ending up in landfills.
Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, broke down how it will work. Trucks will bring waste to the facility, where it will be separated. Plastics, metals, paper and organic waste will be pulled out for processing.
“This center will take in waste, recover what is useful, and reduce what we send to landfills,” Gbadegesin explained. “It also supports our waste-to-wealth and waste-to-energy programs.”
He said turning trash into resources will not only clean the environment but also create money-making opportunities for the state.
The Lands Bureau will handle issues around land. According to its Permanent Secretary, Kamar Olowoshago, the bureau will map out affected properties and ensure due process.
Community leaders in Badagry welcomed the idea. Chief Kayode Abila, the Baale of Igoro Erekiti, threw his weight behind the project. He urged government to begin work quickly and to bring more development to the community.
Habiba Abubakar, Managing Director of Zoomlion, said the partnership shows what government and private companies can achieve together. She promised Zoomlion will bring technical expertise to make the plant work.
Also present were local government officials and traditional leaders, including Hakeem Adeyemi, Vice Chairman of Badagry Local Government.