At an event called “Sustaining the Planet, Upholding the Law: Green Justice in Action,” Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, the Managing Director/CEO of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), promoted environmental sustainability and “green justice.” The event brought together prominent sustainability activists at Babcock University Law Campus in Iperu.
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One of the panelists, Gbadegesin, emphasized the importance of utilizing waste materials for recyclable purposes rather than landfills in order to decrease environmental concerns and capitalize on economic opportunities. According to him, LAWMA has started a project to replace the Epe landfill with a cutting-edge waste-to-energy facility that can process 2,500 tons of waste per day and produce 60–80 megawatts of electricity.
Recalling that 50 residents were recently arraigned before a mobile court for careless rubbish dumping, he stated that legislation was essential to securing a sustainable future and that LAWMA’s dedication to upholding the state’s environmental regulations was evidence of this. Strong legislation supported by enforcement was essential to achieving a sustainable future, Gbadegesin said, emphasizing the significance of aligning waste management practices with current legal frameworks to unlock legal partnerships.
The agency accomplished this by fortifying its legal unit and improving public communication strategies. “Human behavior is the biggest obstacle to sustainability. To meet our environmental objectives, we must keep educating people and enforcing compliance, regardless of whether the problem is caused by ignorance or firmly held beliefs about waste management, he stated.
The LAWMA head reiterated the significance of families owning bins, isolating waste from the source, and using reusable bags as part of LAWMA’s strategy to address a number of issues through community participation, enforcement, and public education. He also discussed the important role LAWMA Academy plays in teaching students in elementary and secondary schools, as the academy frequently visits schools to conduct outreach and interactive learning sessions on sustainable waste management.
Kehinde Fadare, KPMG’s Sustainable Development Advisor, added to the conversation by emphasizing how crucial behavioral transformation is to reaching sustainability objectives. Driving genuine change, according to Fadare, necessitated a fundamental transformation in people’s perspectives on waste. He emphasized that adopting the correct mindset would assist shift the attention away from cost-related issues and make it simpler to implement sustainability efforts.
He urged more robust public-private partnerships, emphasizing that although government initiatives were important, working with business organizations was necessary to capitalize on shared advantages and produce long-lasting effects. Similarly, changing cultural behaviors—particularly with regard to consumption patterns—have been noted as a major barrier in waste management by Modupeoluwa Williams, Sustainability Consultant at Forvis Mazars.
She brought up the shift from reusable to single-use plastic bottles for drinks, recognizing that this development had an impact on the environment and advocating for the application of best practices like recycling, reducing, substituting, and ensuring safe waste disposal. The panel concluded that a fourth principle, “Refuse,” should be added to the well-known “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” approach.
This principle would encourage people to deliberately reject things that contribute to environmental deterioration, as it would help stop waste at its source. Mrs. Bukola Adeyemo, the head of LAWMA’s legal unit, and Mrs. Folashade Kadiri, the organization’s head of public affairs, were also in attendance.
