Waste pickers in Lagos have called for stronger implementation of recycling policies to improve livelihoods and promote cleaner communities as Nigeria marks its 66th Independence anniversary.
The President of the Association of Scrap and Waste Pickers of Lagos State (ASWOL), Mr Friday Oku, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
Oku said developments in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), plastic waste management, and the circular economy had created new opportunities for operators in the waste sector.
He said the Federal Government had paid increased attention to environmental regulation, circular economy development and plastic pollution during the first three years of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“From the perspective of waste pickers, recyclers and other informal-sector operators, I would describe the last three years as a period of important policy development,” he said.
Oku, however, noted that a gap remained between policy formulation and implementation, stressing that effective waste management required stronger collaboration among the three tiers of government.
He identified EPR, plastic-waste management, e-waste and circular economy initiatives as some of the notable areas of progress in the sector.
According to him, EPR was particularly important because it requires producers to take responsibility for their products after consumption.
He said the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) recognized EPR arrangements covering plastics, used tires, e-waste and used batteries.
Oku also cited the National Policy on Plastic Waste Management and the Global Environment Facility-funded Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution in Nigeria project as notable Federal Government interventions.
He identified the National Environmental (Battery Control) Regulations, 2024, also known as S.I. No. 11 of 2024, as another development in the sector.
The ASWOL president said enforcement against non-compliant recycling facilities was crucial to ensuring safer recycling practices and better management of environmentally hazardous materials.
He, however, cautioned against claiming a major nationwide improvement in recycling without sufficient evidence.
“There are signs of progress, but I would be cautious about claiming that Nigeria has achieved a major nationwide improvement in recycling based on the available evidence,” he said.
Oku cited Nigeria’s export of about 5.85 million kilograms of certain plastic waste and scrap in 2024 as evidence that recyclable materials were entering recycling markets.
He, however, said the figure alone could not determine the overall impact of government interventions due the a lack of sufficiently reliable national waste data.
“Without reliable national data, it is difficult to accurately measure the overall impact of government interventions,” he said.
Oku identified waste collection and material recovery at the community level as major areas requiring greater attention.
He said improved data collection would enable the government to measure policy effectiveness and determine whether interventions were actually improving environmental conditions.
The waste pickers’ leader called for increased investment in waste infrastructure, source separation and stronger recycling systems across cities and communities.
“Separating recyclable materials at source would reduce contamination and prevent valuable materials from ending up in dumpsites,” he said.
He also called for stronger implementation of EPR, with producers contributing financially and operationally to the collection and recycling of products introduced into the Nigerian market.
According to him, effective EPR could strengthen recycling while encouraging producers to consider the environmental impact of their products and packaging after use.
Regarding the informal sector, Oku said waste pickers could contribute more effectively to material recovery if they were properly recognized and supported.
He called for training, occupational safety equipment, access to finance and opportunities for informal operators to participate in recognized waste-management programs.
He also advocated increased investment in recycling enterprises, saying this would expand material recovery and create more green employment opportunities.
The ASWOL president called for clear national targets on waste collection, source separation, recycling, open dumping and open burning.
He said the targets should also cover plastic waste entering waterways, producer participation in EPR and the number of properly regulated recycling facilities.
“The targets should be public, independently verifiable and reported annually, rather than remaining only as policy commitments,” Oku said.
He urged citizens to assess environmental progress through conditions in their communities rather than by the number of policies announced.
“The real indicators are what is happening in our communities,” he said.
Oku said the broader objective should be to move from a system focused mainly on collecting and disposing of waste to one centered on waste prevention and material recovery.
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“The strongest measure of success will be whether Nigeria moves from a system that mainly collects and disposes of waste to one that prevents waste, separates it, recovers materials and creates decent green jobs,” he said.
He said Nigeria had the human resources required for the transition but needed stronger implementation, investment and coordination to move from a linear economy to a circular one.
