FG Urged To Establish Waste Recycling Plants

An environmentalist,
Mrs Halima Usman, has appealed to Federal Government to establish waste recycling plants as a way of tackling environmental issues in the country.
Usman, who is the President of Halima-Factor Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
According to her, the plants when established will help to improve revenue generation, power generation and boost the economy of the country generally.
“Basically, our problem in Nigeria is recycling. Other countries have gone beyond the normal waste collection and dumping.
“While dumping refuse, we are damaging the environment and the water system and over time, it may result in water poisoning or environmental degradation.
“You will discover that after so many years, a land that was initially fertile will be infertile because the ground had been destroyed.
“It is not all about collecting the wastes and dumping it somewhere, it is about managing the wastes, recycling those wastes to become useful products.
“It will also reduce the damages we have done on the land because if we are able to manage wastes effectively, we will not struggle for some raw materials to produce goods and services.
“The government should think about how we can recycle our wastes. We have electricity problem, if only the government can look at these wastes, it is a good source of energy,’’ Usman said.
The president, who classified some of the wastes as biodegradable and non-biodegradable, said that biodegradable wastes could be used to generate energy in the country.
She expressed regrets that people were still dumping electronic wastes in the country, adding that most developed countries had phased it out.
Usman suggested that refurbishment of those electronic wastes was a better option to piling electronic wastes, noting that indiscriminate dumping of electronic wastes were harmful to human health and the ecosystem .
According to her, the government should encourage local scavengers who gather electronic scraps (wastes) by providing little capital for them to improve their businesses pending the establishment of the plant.
“We have a lot of experts abroad who are Nigerians and they specialise in waste management.
“What our government needs to do is to involve them and also encourage local production of goods and services, thereby encouraging technology development in the country.’’
Usman appealed to the government to involve the private sector and the public in tackling environmental issues.