The Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria) has partnered Oko Oba GRA Scheme 1 Housing Estate, Agege, Lagos, to launch the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Facility to promote effective waste management in the state.
The event is part of a broader project by SRADev titled: “Advancing Capacity and Strengthening National Advocacy towards Implementing a Zero Waste Initiative in Plastic Waste Management in Nigeria.”
The unveiling is also part of activities lined up for the celebration of the 2025 International Day of Zero Waste, which is observed on Sunday, March 30.
This year’s theme: “Towards Zero Waste in Fashion and Textiles,” focuses on the urgent need to take action to reduce the waste impact from the fashion and textile sector and promote sustainability and circularity.
During the launch on Saturday, March 29, 2025, Dr. Leslie Adogame, Executive Director SRADev Nigeria, noted that the zero waste project is aimed at commemorating the International Day of Zero Waste which is a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) programme.
Dr. Adogame said segregation of waste at source is the very first doorstep to waste management.
His words: “If you look at the waste management hierarchy, the best point of intervention is minimisation of waste, before the waste even gets to the dump site, it has to be properly managed. So, we are supporting the Lagos State Government, and by extension the Federal Government to entrench what we call a zero waste initiative in our waste management system.”
“We are piloting this project in schools and communities in Lagos, to demonstrate that it is actually easier and better to segregate waste at source, since we already have what we call burgeoning disposal sites. Lagos state government is closing up all its three disposal sites.
“Why? Because there’s too much waste coming into those sites, and we are saying that it is just not enough for you to think of disposal waste management by looking at options like incinerations and all that. If you can reduce waste at source, then you don’t even need large volumes of waste to get to the disposal site, this is what the zero waste initiative.”
On the role the facility will play on waste management, the Executive Director of SRADev Nigeria opined that the BSF Facility would help to manage the organic waste in such a way that organic waste within Oko-Oba GRA Scheme 1 Housing Estate will not go outside the estate, it will all be managed here.
Speaking on the theme of the event which is “Towards Zero Waste in Fashion and Textile”, Dr. Adogame stated that the awareness is on how to reduce the enormous clothing materials that gets to the waste site: “Now, the question is what do we do with legacy textiles? We call them legacy textiles because these are clothing materials that are already in dump sites and all that. And we are saying that there are different waste management techniques that can be used to manage them.
“For example, those textiles that are biodegradable, you could also deploy BSF technology in such, because if they are organic in nature, if they can decompose, different technologies exist that can be used to manage such.
“The awareness raising is also against textiles that are not decomposable. Currently a lot of textiles these days are made with plastic materials and Nigeria being a major recipient of secondhand textiles or clothing, Gatankowa Market is not too far away from here and a lot of all these textiles have reached their end of life and by the time you wear it, a couple of things, they find their way into the dump site. So the solution we are proposing is that instead of federal government concentrate on looking at the potential of companies importing what we call Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDFs) from EU countries.
“We have a huge volume of locally refuse-derived fuel that can be harnessed in clothing in dump sites and can be used by those facilities. I mean, how do we want to import waste from other countries when the wastes are abundant here? All what these companies just need to do is by harnessing the waste that is in dump sites, into refuse-derived fuel that can be used in cement kilns,” maintained the Executive Director.
Considering the growing population of Lagos and SRADev Nigeria’s plan to extend the project to other parts of the state, Dr. Adogame hinted: “This is a pace setter and of course we can’t do it alone. We are doing this so that industrialists, investors, government policies and the likes can support it.
“Of course, the programme is not new, If you go to countries like Tanzania, it is already being embraced by the government of there, even in other countries like the Philippines, it’s already being embraced seriously. So, we’re just trying to popularise this in Nigeria. We are just advocating to ensure that investors can engage with waste pickers and people can set up these kinds of facilities in all industrial estates because all industrial estates in Lagos produce organic waste and also produce all kinds of recyclable waste, and the dump sites are filled already.
“So, we should have these pockets of programmes in different zones of Lagos, different local governments, that will help us manage waste so that what goes to the dump sites eventually is no waste,” he submitted.
In his keynote address, Dr Babatunde Ajayi, General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), represented by Mrs. Oluwafunmike Adekoya, LASEPA’s Deputy Director, Environmental Sustainability, noted: “Plastic is a highly versatile, durable, and inexpensive synthetic polymer material derived from petrochemicals. Its characteristics versatility makes it ideal for packaging (commonly for food packaging), construction, textiles, electronics, and medical. The durability of plastic also means that it can persist in the environment for hundreds to thousands of years, accumulating in landfills, water bodies, polar regions and the deep sea.
“However, the widespread use and indiscriminate disposal of plastic have led to a global environmental crisis, with significant implications for human health and the environment. Plastic pollution, characterised by the accumulation of plastic (especially single-use plastics) waste in terrestrial and aquatic environments, poses multifaceted challenges that require urgent attention and concerted action.
“According to United Nations, over 32 million tonnes of wastes are generated yearly in Nigeria with plastic accounting for 2.5 million tonnes. However, less than 30% of this plastic waste is collected for recycling, and of that, only 10% is actually recycled. Nigeria was ranked among the top 20 countries that contribute up to 83% of the total amount of land-based plastic waste that ends up in rivers, seas, and oceans.
“Lagos being a megacity with approximately 26 million inhabitants produces the largest volume of plastic waste in Nigeria, generating about 870,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually thereby confronted with a pervasive problem of plastic pollution (especially the single-use plastics including bags, bottles, straws, and packaging materials).
“The launch of the Zero Waste Project marks a significant milestone in our collective journey towards a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable Lagos and Nigeria in general,” said the LASEPA General Manager.
In his submission, Mr. Richard Olawole, Chairman of Oko-Oba GRA Scheme 1 Housing Estate, appreciates Dr. Leslie Adogame and his team for selecting the estate as a beneficiary of the project.
“On behalf of my executives and entire residents of this estate, we are assuring SRADev Nigeria that we are going to do everything within our reach to ensure sustainability of the project in ensuring that the estate continues to be neat and tidy at all times,” he promised.
Dignitaries present at the unveiling of the BSF Facility include representative from Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA); Mr. Friday Okuh, President, Association of Waste Pickets of Lagos (ASWOL); and Mr. Anthony Akpan, President, Pan African Vision for the Environment (PAVE), among others.
By Ajibola Adedoye