Circularity Africa, a sustainability, climate and environmental organisation, has empowered 145 waste recovery officers in commemoration of the 2026 World Recycling Day.

The founder and managing director of the group, Seunfunmi Ogungbure, said on Wednesday at the handover of the recycling equipment to the officers that the initiative would tackle the plastic population in Lagos State.

Mr Ogungbure said the empowerment of the waste materials recovery officers was aimed at preventing marine litter, plastic pollution and plastic waste from getting into the marine water bodies.

“So, today we are distributing recycling equipment to 145 material recovery officers who are members of the communities that we are serving. As part of efforts to reach the underserved and unreached communities, we are setting up about 54 new community recycling collection clusters in Nigeria within the local government.

“And the idea is to create a system that would help address the critical issues that are confronting the community, such as the economy and perception about waste, which is also driven by their economic capacity. People have a mentality of why should they pay to clear their waste when they can’t feed themselves? So, it becomes a secondary or a non-consideration at all when it comes to waste management for them.

“Hence, our initiative, recycling, gives them the opportunity to not just address their economic needs but also address the waste management challenges that they are confronted with. And that is why this initiative is being implemented today,” Mr Ogungbure said.

He said the initiative was in partnership with the German Federal Ministry of Environment and Nuclear Safety.

He said the project would centre on how to prevent marine litter, plastic pollution and plastic waste from getting into the marine water bodies.

“So, we are working in Calabar and Lagos State, and in Lagos we are working with the Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area because it is bordering the Atlantic directly. If you just look down the Tincan Port and then the Nigerian Ports Authority, from there, it’s straight up into the Atlantic Ocean.

“So, whatever waste gets into the ocean from here goes straight into the Atlantic. So, what we’re doing keys into that project; the goal of the project is to address and arrest the waste before it gets to the canals and then onwards into the ocean.

“So, this project is building; it’s providing community recycling clusters, which consist of sizeable kiosks which serve as a cluster point, managed by the material recovery officers we are empowering today,” he said.

The Global Recycling Day, celebrated annually on March 18, promotes the importance of recycling to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, and combat climate change.

The day aims to change the global mindset to view waste as a valuable resource, encouraging the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and highlighting the role of recycling in a circular economy.

Circularity Africa provides raw material sourcing for recycling and manufacturing companies. It also manages ESG projects and programmes and sustainability reports for businesses.

The group builds systems in local, underserved and unreached communities and municipal communities to address waste management issues, promoting behavioural culturing, especially when it comes to handling waste post-consumption.
(NAN)