The Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) on Friday, April 16, 2021 applauded the environmental sustainability efforts of Geocycle, Nigeria’s first full-fledged professional waste management service provider.
This is contained in a statement signed by Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, Director, Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development, Lafarge Africa, Plc.
Geocycle is one of the businesses of Lafarge Africa Plc.
The management team of LAWMA led by the AGM Administration, Mr. Taoreed Dosunmu, according to the statement, gave the commendation during a tour of the Geocycle plant in Ewekoro to explore areas of collaboration.
The team commended Lafarge Africa for its contribution in combating waste management challenges facing Nigeria.
LAWMA also called for cooperation between the private and public sectors towards environmental sustainability.
“Safe waste disposal practices are a necessity to preserve the environment and there is a need for the public and private sector operators to collaborate and tackle the menace of landfills scattered across the country,” Dosunmu is quoted as saying.
Mr. Daniel Adedokun, Head of Geocycle, Lafarge Africa, said that Lafarge was committed to building for people and the planet with a focus on a circular economy which was a key part of its sustainability strategy.
‘’Lafarge Africa is working at the highest level to reduce industrial waste across the country and currently offers industrial waste management services for several multinationals and manufacturing companies in Nigeria for co-processing at the Ewekoro plant,” Adedokun said.
He said that Lafarge would be introducing additional Geocycle waste disposal plants at its Ashaka and Mfamosing plants.
Adedokun said this was as the company looked to harness the benefits of co-processing, which eliminates waste materials through high temperature while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr. Peter Albert of GSK PLC, is also quoted as explaining how the Geocycle plant had contributed to the attainment of the zero to landfill strategy through safe disposal of their non-biodegradable waste.
He said GSK was particular about the safety of people, machines, and materials and therefore was committed to the monitoring of their products from inception to disposal.
Albert expressed satisfaction at seeing shreds of their waste generated which formed part of the energy needed in the production of cement.
He said that the partnership with Lafarge Africa’s Geocycle was adding value as waste was being disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.
Country Safety, Health & Environmental Sustainability Manager, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Mr. Raphael Fischer, said that their partnership with Geocycle was part of their commitment to align with the global target to reduce emissions by 2030 and ultimately attain net-zero by 2050.
He said that Nestle Nigeria Plc was committed to the implementation of the highest level of practices to preserve the environment for future generations.
Geocycle handles waste from a variety of waste-generation sectors, including production and manufacturing in a safe, sustainable, and environmentally friendly manner.
Through this, Geocycle is working towards attaining “A Zero-Waste Future” and the global goal of “Zero Waste to Landfill” and Waste-to-Energy (WtE) as the company collects waste and converts it to the energy required to fire the kiln for cement production.
By Fabian Ekeruche
