The Lagos State Government has said they will stop putting old clothes and fabric waste in their trash dumps in three months.
Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, who is the boss of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), shared this news during Lagos Fashion Week. This event was organized by Style House Files, along with the Circular Business Platform and a special office for climate and recycling efforts in Lagos. He made this announcement on Saturday.
This information was also posted on the Lagos State Government’s website.
Dr. Gbadegesin explained why they want to stop fabric waste. He said that when fabric waste is thrown in the dumps, it affects the environment a lot. It makes up about eight percent of the trash there. This is not good because it uses up resources and doesn’t give anything back. But, if we recycle these clothes instead, it can help the environment and even create jobs for people. So, they won’t let fabric waste into dumps starting in three months.
He also talked about working with others to handle fabric waste. LAWMA is teaming up with Tejuosho Market in Yaba to collect fabric waste and send it to recycling centers.
Plus, students at the LAWMA Academy are learning how to turn fabric waste into new, useful things. This helps them think of smarter ways to deal with waste.
More Details
- Stopping fabric waste at Lagos dumps is part of a bigger plan to keep the environment clean and have the government work together with private companies.
- Dr. Gbadegesin also talked about a new project that will turn waste into energy in Epe and working with a company from Ghana called Zoomlion to close down an old dumpsite at Olusosun.
- He encouraged people living in Lagos to help out by using a platform called Capture Lagos to report any wrongdoings they see.
- The government is committed to smart waste management to make the city cleaner and create new job opportunities.
Important Information
The Lagos State Government is serious about handling waste. They have already banned harmful waste like Styrofoam food containers and single-use plastics. They are also forming international partnerships.
- This ban was first mentioned at the beginning of 2024, and they are making sure it is followed, with everything fully in place by January 2025 after the current grace period ends in late 2024.
- Lagos is working with Dutch companies, Closing the Loop and Harvest Waste Consortium, and Ghana’s Jospong Group to improve their waste strategies.
- Closing the Loop will help handle e-waste in Lagos, cutting down on exporting it, and finding new uses for the materials.
- Harvest Waste Consortium, with help from a big grant from the Dutch government, will start a new project in Epe that turns a lot of waste into power, more than 2,500 tons each day.
- Jospong Group plans to turn collected waste into useful things like compost and bins. They hope to start their full operations in Alausa soon.
- Lagos also wants to work with groups from Sweden to turn solid and liquid waste into energy as well.
Overall, Lagos is closing some old dumps to bring in new, better waste management projects. This will help keep the environment cleaner and healthier for everyone.