SOStainabilityWeekly
By Oke Epia, E-mail: sostainability01@gmail.com | WhatsApp: +234 8034000706
Washing and hushing
Trash Is the New Oil: Why Lagos’s Waste Could Power Its Future — If We Get It Right
Every day, Lagos churns out around 14,000 tonnes of waste. It’s an astonishing figure, enough to fill dozens of trucks snaking endlessly from the mainland to the island. In response, the state government has launched a “Cash for Trash” initiative: bring your recyclables, get paid on the spot. It’s catchy, hopeful, and very Lagos; full of energy and possibility.
But beyond the tidy streets and community excitement, one question that must be asked is: does this initiative truly advance Lagos’s climate and sustainability goals, or is it another short-term fix to a long-term problem?
The promise and the potential
Let’s start with the positives. Lagos is not flying blind. The state already has a Climate Action Plan that identifies waste as a key source of greenhouse gas emissions. It’s also working with the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) to close down five major dumpsites by 2030 and replace them with modern treatment facilities that can handle about 2,000 tonnes of waste per day. There’s also a waste-to-energy project at Epe that could eventually power homes using what we throw away.
So, when you think about it, Cash for Trash fits neatly into a larger story: cleaner streets, reduced methane from open dumps, and a nod toward a circular economy — where waste becomes a resource, not a liability.
The gaps we can’t ignore
Still, for all its potential, the initiative raises tough questions.Scale is one: Lagos has more than 20 million people. Occasional pop-up collection drives can’t possibly handle the daily avalanche of plastic, paper, and food waste. Without permanent drop-off stations or an organised schedule, only a tiny fraction of waste will ever make it into this scheme.
Transparency is another: There’s no public list of what materials are accepted, how much they’re worth, or where they end up. Residents can’t tell if the bottles they hand in are being recycled, incinerated, or quietly dumped somewhere else. For a government that talks about accountability, this silence is a missed opportunity.
Then there’s the climate connection: Recycling and waste diversion can indeed reduce methane emissions, but Lagos hasn’t published any numbers showing how Cash for Trash contributes to that goal. Without clear indicators, tonnes collected, households participating, emissions saved, it’s impossible to measure progress.
And of course, there’s the question on everyone’s mind: who’s paying for it?Paying people for waste is not cheap. If even a small portion of Lagos’s population participates, payouts could run into hundreds of millions of naira each month. Unless that money comes from producers, recycling firms, or private partnerships, it could quickly become a financial burden.
Cities that have made such programmes work; from Norway’s bottle-deposit scheme to Singapore’s permanent recycling stations, fund them through producer responsibility systems, not government budgets alone.Globally, the most effective recycling programmes don’t rely on occasional incentives, they rely on structure.
In Norway and Lithuania, consumers pay a small deposit on every beverage container and get it back when they return the bottle. The result? Over 90% return rates. In Singapore, residents know exactly where and when to exchange recyclables for cash because stations are fixed and scheduled public. And across Europe, “Pay-As-You-Throw” systems charge households for mixed waste while making recycling free and convenient, a simple economic nudge that works.
The lesson for Lagos is clear: consistency and clarity beat campaigns and slogans every time.
How Lagos can make it last
To turn Cash for Trash from a feel-good drive into a sustainable climate tool, Lagos should focus on a few practical steps.First, publish a price card so residents know exactly what’s recyclable and how much it’s worth. Transparency builds trust.Second, link the initiative to the state’s climate plan; show, in numbers, how many tonnes of waste are diverted from dumps and how much methane is prevented.Third, create a steady funding model. Introduce producer-responsibility fees for companies whose packaging ends up in bins, or design a small “deposit-refund” system for plastic bottles and cans.Fourth, integrate waste pickers and micro-aggregators. They already form the backbone of Lagos’s informal recycling economy. Bringing them into the system with fair pay, safety gear, and digital payments will make the scheme socially inclusive and more effective.And finally, communicate openly. Publish quarterly reports on collection volumes, money disbursed, and recycling outcomes. Lagos residents deserve to know where their efforts lead.
A cleaner Lagos, a smarter Lagos
There’s no doubt that Cash for Trash taps into something powerful, Lagosians’ readiness to act when properly motivated. But motivation alone won’t solve a structural problem.If the government can move from pop-up drives to a citywide network of return points, backed by data and clear climate metrics, Lagos could lead West Africa in the emerging circular economy. The city already has the ambition and the scale; now it needs the systems to match.Turning trash into cash is a good start. Turning waste into wealth, and cleaner air, lower emissions, and green jobs, will be the real success story.
Trends and threads
How Sustainable Public Procurement Can Advance Nigeria’s Climate Goals
Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) is a strategic approach to procurement that seeks to achieve a balance between economic, social, and environmental goals. By integrating sustainability considerations into procurement processes, governments and organisations can leverage their purchasing power to promote sustainable development, mitigate environmental impacts, and drive social progress. Countries across the world are increasingly adopting SPP to advance their climate goals. Nigeria needs to move swiftly and intentionally in this direction. And for several good reasons, which include the following:
Environmental Protection: One of the primary goals of SPP is to reduce the environmental impact of procurement activities. This involves selecting goods and services that have a lower environmental footprint, promoting the use of renewable resources, and encouraging suppliers to adopt eco-friendly practices. By prioritising products with reduced emissions, lower energy consumption, and minimal waste, SPP helps in mitigating climate change and preserving natural resources.
Economic Efficiency: SPP aims to achieve economic efficiency by considering the total cost of ownership (TCO) rather than just the upfront purchase price. This includes factors such as maintenance, operation, and disposal costs over the product’s lifecycle. By focusing on TCO, organisations can make more informed procurement decisions that lead to long-term savings and better resource utilization.
Social Equity: SPP seeks to promote social equity by encouraging the inclusion of socially responsible practices in procurement processes. This includes supporting fair labour practices, promoting diversity and inclusion, and ensuring that procurement decisions do not negatively impact vulnerable communities. By prioritising suppliers who adhere to social standards and contribute positively to society, SPP fosters a more equitable and just procurement system.
Innovation and Market Transformation: SPP encourages innovation by creating demand for sustainable products and services. This can stimulate the market to develop new, innovative solutions that meet sustainability criteria. By setting high sustainability standards, public procurement can drive market transformation, leading to the widespread adoption of sustainable practices across various industries.
The Pillars of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP)
Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) rests on three fundamental pillars that collectively ensure public procurement practices contribute positively to sustainable development. These pillars—economic prosperity, environmental responsibility, and social progress—guide organizations in balancing their procurement decisions with broader societal and environmental goals.At its core, SPP aims to achieve economic prosperity by maximizing the efficiency of public spending. This pillar emphasizes the importance of achieving value for money throughout the procurement process. Organisations implement strategies like whole-life costing, which considers not just the upfront cost of goods and services but also their costs over their entire lifecycle, including operation, maintenance, and disposal.Furthermore, optimising procurement through centralised activities across government entities helps leverage economies of scale and negotiate better prices from suppliers. By promoting cost efficiency and practices that reduce waste, SPP ensures taxpayer money is used wisely, fostering sustainable economic growth and innovation in the marketplace.
The environmental pillar of SPP focuses on minimising the ecological footprint of public procurement activities. It aims to promote goods, services, and works that have a reduced impact on the environment throughout their lifecycle. Key principles include integrating environmental criteria into tendering processes to encourage the adoption of greener alternatives by suppliers.Life cycle assessment plays a crucial role, assessing the environmental impact of products and services from extraction of raw materials through to end-of-life disposal or recycling. SPP also promotes eco-friendly practices such as energy efficiency, waste reduction, sustainable sourcing, and the use of renewable resources in procurement specifications. By embedding environmental considerations into procurement decisions, SPP not only mitigates environmental harm but also drives market demand for sustainable products and services.
SPP recognizes the importance of social progress and aims to support fair and ethical practices throughout the supply chain. This pillar emphasizes the inclusion of social criteria in procurement processes to ensure suppliers adhere to fair labour practices, promote diversity and inclusion, and respect human rights.Moreover, SPP encourages procurement practices that support local economies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and disadvantaged or marginalised groups. Transparency and accountability are essential, promoting open procurement processes and holding suppliers accountable for their social impacts. By prioritising social progress, SPP contributes to inclusive growth, strengthens community resilience, and enhances public trust in government procurement practices.
Integrating Sustainability into the Procurement Process
A Sustainable Public Procurement Policy outlines the intentions and principles guiding an organization’s environmental responsibilities. It aims to ensure efficient use of budget resources while minimising negative environmental impacts throughout the lifecycle of goods and services. Key tasks of the SPP Policy include: providing a framework for long-term savings through whole-life costing; informing suppliers and vendors about the organisation’s sustainable development direction; describing general sustainability performance requirements for inclusion in technical specifications and selection criteria; and promoting environmentally responsible consumption within the organization.
Is Nigeria’s public procurement policy taking cognizance of SPP as a global imperative? Is the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) aligning with the National Climate Change Council on how public resources expended through contracting can aid or accelerate Nigeria’s climate goals?
Spotlight
Niger Delta oil spills: Will the Reps’ probe clean up the mess?
The House of Representatives has empanelled an ad-hoc committee to investigate the management of oil spill clean-up funds in the Niger Delta. While this appears to be a good move, it raises pertinent questions about the efficiency and productivity of legislative oversight.
Given that there is a standing committee in the House on Host Communities that has jurisdiction over the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), one wonders why an ad-hic committee needs to be set up to investigate the same agency. Could this be a vote of no confidence in the standing committee? This is the first question the House of Representatives should answer to come clear on its real intentions and resolve to pursue a transparent and accountable probe of oil spill clean-up in the delta.
Chairman of the ad-hoc committee,Mr.OkpolupmEttehhas reportedly pledged that his team will “scrutinise project implementation, procurement processes, training programmes, intelligence coordination, and the actual delivery of remediation and restitution to Niger Delta communities.When monitoring and verification reveal gaps, delays, or irregularities, the committee will not hesitate to identify those responsible and recommend corrective measures. This is about ensuring that funds meant for environmental recovery are used effectively for the people who have suffered the most.” He specifically mentioned that HYPREP, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), and the Federal Ministry of Finance will be invited to explain their part in how billions of funds earmarked for clean up have been spent or misspent. “Let me be clear this is not a political theatre or a public show. It is a rigorous, evidence-driven inquiry aimed at restoring accountability, recovering misapplied public funds, addressing institutional failures, and ensuring that real remediation reaches our communities,” he declared. This page will keep an eye on the probe.
