Ogun Targets Industrial Waste Pollution with Circular Economy Drive

 

Aina Obasanjo 

The Ogun State Government has warned industries against improper waste disposal, saying indiscriminate dumping and open burning are contributing to flooding, environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emissions.

Governor Dapo Abiodun gave the warning in Abeokuta at the third Annual Workshop on Industrial Waste Management organised by the Ogun State Waste Management Authority, OGWAMA.

The Governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, said Nigeria generates more than thirty-five million tonnes of solid waste annually, with Ogun State accounting for over one million tonnes, much of it generated by industries.

He explained that the dumping of waste in drainage channels obstructs the free flow of water and aggravates flooding, while open burning releases pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Governor Abiodun stressed that Ogun’s position as one of Nigeria’s major industrial hubs comes with a responsibility to ensure that industrial growth does not compromise public health and the environment.

The Governor said investment remains welcome in the state, but must be carried out in accordance with environmental laws.

The Commissioner for Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, said the state’s Climate Change Policy, currently undergoing stakeholders’ review, would provide a framework for low-carbon industrial development and the adoption of circular economy principles.

He listed some of the government’s initiatives to include the Blue Box waste segregation programme, expansion of recycling depots across the three senatorial districts and the Plastic for Cash initiative targeted at women, youths and low-income households.

Dr Oresanya said Ogun, which hosts the largest concentration of industrial recycling facilities in Nigeria, processes about two thousand metric tonnes of plastic daily.

He added that the state is also formalising electronic waste recovery through collection hubs in Agbara, Sagamu and Ota.

The Commissioner disclosed that Ogun State had been selected by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, UNIDO, as a core state for an off-grid renewable energy equipment waste circular economy project.

Earlier, the Special Adviser and Managing Director of OGWAMA, Alhaji Farouk Adeniyi Akintunde had said that the authority had refurbished old compactors, acquired new ones and cleared outstanding payments to PSP operators to improve waste collection.

Alhaji Akintunde expressed concern over the activities of some industries which, he said, under-declare their waste volumes, burn waste and operate illegal dump sites.

He warned that such practices violate the OGWAMA Law 2020 and would attract sanctions.

The OGWAMA Managing Director urged industries to adopt waste audits, segregation at source and industrial symbiosis, where waste from one industrial process is reused as raw material by another.

He said such measures would help reduce pollution and flooding while creating additional economic opportunities.