Circularity Africa, a sustainability, climate and environmental organisation, has distributed recycling equipment to 145 waste recovery officers as part of activities marking the 2026 World Recycling Day.The initiative is aimed at strengthening community-based waste collection and preventing plastic waste from reaching marine environments in Lagos.
Speaking on Wednesday during the handover ceremony, the group’s Founder and Managing Director, Seunfunmi Ogungbure, said the programme was designed to address plastic pollution and improve waste recovery efforts in underserved communities.“So, today we are distributing recycling equipment to 145 material recovery officers who are members of the communities that we are serving,” he said.
Ogungbure said the project would also lead to the establishment of about 54 new community recycling collection clusters across Nigeria at the local government level.
According to him, the model is intended to tackle both environmental and economic challenges in low-income communities where waste disposal is often not prioritised.“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,” Ogungbure said.
He said the initiative is being implemented in partnership with the German Federal Ministry of Environment and Nuclear Safety and is focused on stopping marine litter, plastic pollution and plastic waste from entering water bodies.
According to him, the Lagos intervention is concentrated in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area because of its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and major waterways linked to Tin Can Port and the Nigerian Ports Authority.“
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 onward into the ocean,” he said.
Ogungbure explained that the recycling clusters would serve as collection points managed by the material recovery officers being empowered under the scheme.World Recycling Day is observed every year on March 18 to highlight the role of recycling in conserving natural resources, reducing waste and supporting climate action.
The campaign also promotes the circular economy principle of treating waste as a valuable resource rather than refuse.
