Charting the Roadmap to a Circular Economy in Lagos

Lagos State plans to lead the trail in circular economy in Nigeria but there are a few potholes to be filled. Vanessa Obioha reports on a recent stakeholders engagement spearheaded by agencies under the state’s ministries of Environment, Economic Planning and Budget, in collaboration with Nondunna Ltd, a policy and management consulting firm

With a growing population of over 20 million, Lagos State is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. This makes it prone to waste generation.

The state currently produces about 14,000 metric tonnes of waste that harms its economy; from environmental hazards to human health and livelihoods.

Therefore, it becomes imperative that the state which prides itself as a model for other states in the country to follow begins to transition from a linear to a circular economy.

How to facilitate the transition was the focus of a recent gathering of stakeholders in Lagos. Organised by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency and Lagos Resilience Office, agencies under the Ministries of Environment and Economic Planning and Budget respectively, and anchored by Nondunna Ltd, a policy and management consulting firm, stakeholders plumbed ways to limit waste generation and build a resilient economy.

In her presentation, the Executive Director of Nondunna Ltd, Nonny Ugboma whose company is handling the project, stated the four deliverables the state hopes to achieve in implementing a circular and resilient economy.

They include providing a Circularity Gap Report, content development and strategic communications, project repository and tracking dashboard, and fundable projects.

Awareness and data sharing appeared to be the most challenging factors from the submissions at the meeting.

A circular economy is not a popular term and may require a breakdown for people living in the grassroots.

In simple terms, a circular economy refers to the conservation of natural resources and waste reduction. It is an economic model which aims to produce goods and services sustainably, limiting consumption, and waste generation.

While a linear economy extract, produce, consume and dispose of, a circular economy share, rent, re-use, repair, renovate and recycle existing products to add value.

First used in the article ‘The Economy of Natural Resources’ in 1988, circular economy is based on three principles: eliminating waste and pollution, circulating products and materials, and the regeneration of nature.

Although a new concept, many countries are already adopting it as it offers significant opportunities for more inclusive economic growth, which includes job opportunities and positive environmental practices that are directly required for sustainability.

According to United Nations reports, Nigeria generates 43.2 million tonnes of waste annually. It is projected that it will generate an estimated 72.46 million tonnes of waste annually at a projected rate of 0.85 kg of waste/capita/day by 2025.

Therefore in working towards a circular economy, Ugboma underscored the need to create awareness to keep the public informed. Such awareness will require a rounded communication process.

For instance, the Circularity Gap Report will keep stakeholders informed on areas where waste generation is worse as well as engagements in tackling the issue.

Ugboma highlighted that every organisation should have waste management in mind, arguing that the problem of the linear economy is in the process itself.

Explaining further, Anthony Alagbile provided more insights on how the transition will happen. He revealed that the state will kick off with three local government areas: Alimosho, Oshodi and Ikeja. According to him, these areas were picked based on a “matrix that took into consideration the population size, cluster of residential areas, the variety and quantum of waste that is generated and a cluster of industries.”

He also noted that incentives were created to engage the younger generation digitally to fully understand the importance of waste management.

While stating that Nigeria is already accustomed to a linear economy, the General Manager of LASEPA, Dolapo Fasawe, argued that plastic is not entirely a bad product but the improper disposal of it is what causes harm to the environment.

“It is an economy where, from conception, you’re already thinking about sustainability, and you want to know what your end-product would be. Plastic is not totally a bad thing, but when it is not properly disposed of, it clogs our drainage system and causes flooding. So, we are saying when you use plastic, reuse it, and recycle it. You can use it up to ten times, and there are off-takers in this country; if you need a list, come to LASEPA. “

However, attendees argued that more is needed to accelerate the process. They call for more engagement with other stakeholders. There were concerns also about drop-off zones for waste collection, as well as deploying the waste to wealth incentives to help in waste management. It was suggested that the ‘area boys’ can be used effectively in this regard.

Regarding content development, a communication strategist Ayodeji Tobun assured that the approach adopted will achieve four main objectives which are to educate, inform, call to action and gamify content such that it drives engagement.

He said at the core of the communication strategy is to make the circular economy an everyday language. Already, the Chief Resilience Officer, LASRO, Fola Dania disclosed that the Eko Circular Podcast will help educate residents on building a resilient economy.

While using technology to solve waste management was welcomed, guests expressed concerns on data sharing as most companies are protective of their data.

Therefore, even if Nondunna builds a tracking dashboard for stakeholders to help data collection from informal sectors, they fear that if the data is not made public, it will slow down requests.

Despite the concerns raised, stakeholders agreed that turning Lagos State into a circular economy was the way to go considering that it presents an economic opportunity worth USD4.5 trillion.

Countries like Sweden and Norway are already ahead to the extent of importing waste. Perhaps, Lagos will lead the path in the coming years.

Quote

“It is an economy where, from conception, you’re already thinking about sustainability, and you want to know what your end-product would be. Plastic is not totally a bad thing, but when it is not properly disposed of, it clogs our drainage system and causes flooding. So, we are saying when you use plastic, reuse it, and recycle it”