The Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, has received a donation of hundred smart bins from Lee Group of Companies, at the agency’s head office in Ijora-Olopa, during a courtesy visit while both organisation also agreed to partner to promote circular economy.
Speaking on the purpose of visit, the operations manager of the company, Abiola Akerele, noted that the company operated a recycling plant and required the agency’s support for its accreditation.
He added that the company had previously purchased LAWMA’s smart bins, which it distributed to residents as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative for a cleaner Lagos city.
Akerele further spoke of plans to procure an additional 100 smart bins, which they would like LAWMA to help distribute to schools, hospitals, and other public institutions in support of the state’s recycling effort and the broader circular economy initiative.
In his remarks, Managing Director of the company, Tunji Lawal Solarin, disclosed that the visit and donation were inspired by a recent interview granted by the LAWMA managing director/CEO, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin said, “The interview struck a chord in us and resonated with us”.
“We are 100 percent committed to a cleaner environment to ensure that LAWMA achieves its goal of making Lagos cleaner. It is in our own interest to do that. We felt there is a need for more communication, discussion, and stakeholder engagement, not just for formality’s sake.”
He stressed the need for attitude change and genuine partnerships, adding that plans were afoot to build a circular economic infrastructure in Lagos State, achievable through partnership, pledging the company’s willingness to collaborate on LAWMA’s initiative to develop collection centres across the state.
Responding, Dr. Gbadegesin expressed heartfelt appreciation, for the donation, noting that the partnership was both timely and encouraging. “I appreciate that someone is listening, which makes this heartwarming for me. Today is a good day for me because I can see some of the seeds have borne fruit”.
“LAWMA’s vision is for every household in Lagos to have at least two bins, one for recyclables and the other for general waste. However, considering population density, we plan to have more communal recycling bins and collection centres strategically placed, particularly around marketplaces, to collect recyclables.
“This approach will help minimise the need for landfills, which pose environmental and health risks, and ultimately reduce their negative impact on our ecosystem and residents’ well-being,” he stressed.
Speaking further, he urged the company to remain committed to the circular economy initiative, while assuring them of LAWMA’s full support, noting that there was a lot of opportunities in circular economy, as it was worth two and a half billion dollars annually, to be unlocked by the private sector.
According to him, “Lagos is densely populated, and people are generating items of value across different waste characterization chains.
“Our own idea is to have community recycling centres where they can bring the different items and educate them, and we can now aggregate the materials and transport them to where they would be used.”
Also, in attendance at the meeting were LAWMA’s Executive Director, Mr. Kunle Adebiyi; General Manager of Lee Group, Niyi Shogbamu; Head of Circular Economy and Waste Management at Lee Group, Faluyi Ibukun and members of LAWMA’s management team.
