By Adaora Adibe/ Nafisat Abdulrahman
In a bid to address the mounting challenges of waste management in Nigeria, the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) recently held its fortnightly Zoom meeting under the theme: Nigeria’s Waste Management Policy: Implication For Materials Recycling. The session which was moderated by the Director, Directorate of Corporate Affairs (DCA) of the Council Mr. Chukwuma Ngaha attracted experts, policymakers, and industry leaders, provided an in-depth discussion on how the country can optimize its waste management framework to promote sustainable materials recycling and boost local industries.
During the meeting, a Circular Economy lecturer from the University of the West of Scotland United Kingdom, Dr. Inyene Nkanta highlighted recycling challenges in Nigeria, noting that the inability to separate waste makes it difficult to extract valuable materials for reuse.
According to her “extracting the valuable materials from waste to be reused, such as metals, plastic and papers, which help to reduce the need for new resources can be very difficult, because already we don’t even know how to separate this waste”.
Dr. Inyene further emphasized the importance of educating the public on the proper disposal of different types of waste, such as food waste for composting, adding her observation that people often mix different types of waste, making it difficult to recycle or dispose of effectively.
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“The number one problem that we are having is people are not properly educated when it comes to separating waste. And it’s a big problem, and we could start from there. It’s not a day thing. I’m not expecting that it’s just going to be like this. But we can start by educating people” she said.
On his part, A former Director General of RMRDC Prof. Peter Onwualu explained the potential of converting waste into usable industrial inputs in Nigeria, emphasizing the need for a business-oriented approach to waste management.
“There is nothing like waste, because that thing you are calling waste is actually the raw material for another industry or another business, whether you are using it directly or you need to add value and convert that raw material that wastes, you convert it to something useful,” he noted.
Prof. Onwualu also advocated for SMEs to adopt circular economy practices for economic growth as he said supporting SMEs in waste management is crucial for effective waste policy implementation and economic development.
A Deputy Director of RMRDC, Engr. Ettu Obassi however spotlighted the issue being discussed from the raw materials angle using domestic waste as animal droppings, and peelings from crops such as cassava, yam, beans, etc as an example, he discussed recycling and composting as ways to address waste management in the country. “We can start with simple things such as composting. composting will give us manure, which will be used in agriculture to improve the yield and enhance the fertility of the soil”, he said.
Experts at the meeting highlighted the need for stronger policies that encourage recycling and the reuse of materials, particularly plastics and metals while noting that States like Lagos have made strides in waste collection but there is still the need to close the gap in recycling infrastructure and awareness in Nigeria.
As Nigeria continues to struggle with the challenges of waste management, the discussions held during the Zoom meeting serve as a timely reminder of the need for innovative solutions that align environmental sustainability with economic growth. The RMRDC’s ongoing efforts to integrate research and development into Nigeria’s waste management policy will play an important role in shaping the future of materials recycling in the country.
