WASTE TO WEALTH: OPPORTUNITIES FOR NIGERIAby | 11-08-2014 14:54 |
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Every second in the most populous country in the Black Continent, waste is manufactured. Like the sun that would never cease to cast its flagellating rays on the beautiful landscape of the country, waste, is a regular phenomenon. From the dung of cattle in rural places to the cartons of fruit juice in urban cities, Nigeria is a waste producer much so like other countries. Unfortunately however, it appears upon a very close observation, that little seems to be known about the inherent wealth this vast amount of waste that is being produced on a nanosecond basis, has in disguise for a country like Nigeria which is seriously trapped in the quagmire of poverty, unemployment and more recently, outrageous brain drain. Noticeably however, turning waste to wealth is a very viable area common in other countries and there is no overstating therefore, the urgent need for Nigeria to dig into the mine of enormous opportunities which waste products can present for her socio-economic growth. Hence, the clamour for waste management and or recycling! The fact remains largely that, waste needs to be managed effectively as it can also be a source of wealth if well handled. The Recycling business for instance, generates employment and adds value to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country that wants to create wealth for its citizens. A huge opportunity exists for investment in conversion of waste to methane gas and electricity and a review of green and sustainable model of waste management and electricity generation in some developed countries reveals that if the same model is adopted, Lagos (a State in Nigeria) can generate close to 1000MegaWatts of electricity from its waste, at an initial capital investment of 4 billion US Dollars. This is too juicy to ignore! Discarded materials can contribute to local revenue, job creation, business expansion and local economic growth. By recycling, fresh supply of the same material is a big possibility. For example, used office paper can be converted into making a new office paper just as used polystyrene can be converted into making new polystyrene. Importantly, other captivating benefits of recycling include prevention of waste of potentially useful materials, reasonable reduction of energy usage, reduction of air pollution (from incineration) as well as water pollution (from land fill sites). Waste management conserves natural resources such as timber, water and minerals and prevents habitat destruction, loss of biodiversity, and soil erosion with logging and mining. It is only sane to conclude after all that, insensibility and sheer insensitivity would be the only major barriers to any further hesitation on the part of the country from converting her waste to wealth. |
