The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) has called on the Lagos State Government to halt plans to construct a waste-to-energy
incinerator plant and impose a moratorium on the building of any waste incineration plants.
In a press briefing which held in Lagos on Tuesday (July 23) the group said the Epe Waste-To-Energy Incinerator would only worsen the environmental challenges in the state, adding that Incinerators contribute to the climate crisis due to their.emissions.
The group recommended instead, that Lagos adopt a zero waste approach which exemplify a truly Circular Economy driven
strategic approach to resource management and preservation. Zero waste prioritize reduction of waste
generation, source segregation, recycling, composting, and reuse programs and are environmentally friendly.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Leslie Adogame, Executive Director of Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria)a GAIA member group, said.Lagos should adopt economically
efficient options as alternatives to incineration.
He also.added that it is crucial to invest in research
and development of waste management technologies and approaches that prioritize
environmental protection, public health, and social equity, such as composting and recycling.
The group also.wants the Lagos government to carryout broader consultation with the public and environmental CSOs as well as fenceline
communities, to
accurately inform the public about the potential environmental, social, and health implications
of the proposed incinerator on the surrounding communities in Epe and their ecosystems.
In his intervention, Anthony Akpan Founder/President, Pan African Vision for the Environment (PAVE), Nigeria said that waste incineration is the most expensive and least efficient way to generate
energy.
Akpan maintained that waste seiving whixh was an idea of the Lagos government through a blue box initiative should be revived instead of rhe Incinerator experiment.
The blue box was aimed at promoting the culture of waste sorting at the point of generation. The launch of the innovative scheme in 2019 was hailed a milestone in waste management in Lagos. Unfortunatelybthe initiative was not sustained.
Other interventions at the briefing came from Benson Dotun Fasanya of Centre for Earth Works (CFEW) and Weyinmi Okotie of GAIA who explained that GAIA, is a worldwide network of over 1,000
organisations fighting for a future free from waste pollution. We advocate for a shift away from
incineration and towards a “zero waste” approach.
He said GAIA goal is a just and sustainable
world where communities are empowered to manage waste responsibly and live in a healthy
environment. In Nigeria,
Other groups that participated in the briefing are Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) as well as a host of national and state level media organisations.