INAUGURATION OF ZERO WASTE PARLIAMENT IN LAGOS STATE

Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF) officially inaugurated the Zero Waste Parliament on Monday 28^th July, 2025 in Ikeja, Lagos State. The Zero Waste Parliament being a key activity of the Multi-solving Action of Methane Reduction in Nigeria (MAMRNM) project that is designed to be a high-level engagement platform bringing together diverse relevant stakeholders in the waste value chain.

The primary objective of the Zero Waste Parliament is to facilitate robust discussions and policy advocacy aimed at scaling up zero waste model across Lagos State and influencing governmental approaches to sustainable waste management.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Melody Enyinnaya, CODAF’s Program Manager, gave an insightful overview of the MAMRN project. She also highlighted the baseline research conducted in Epe, Lagos State, as well as the reasons for the establishment of the Zero Waste Parliament.

Focal Group Discussion

For a robust deliberation, the participants broke into two focal groups to deliberate on challenges and sustainable solutions to waste management in Lagos State

Group A: Challenges to Waste Management

Participants identified the following issues:

·         Lack of proper waste recycling

·         Lack of investment in waste management especially in the organic waste sector

·         Landfills design doesn’t encourage proper waste segregation

·         Lack of advocacy on waste segregation

·         Fragmentation of efforts on zero waste advocacy

·         Inadequate waste collection trucks

·         Lack of informal groups (waste pickers) recognition

Group B: Sustainable Solutions to Waste Management

Participants identified the following strategies;

·         Revive circular hotspot on environmental protection

·         Reintroduce the blue box initiative in waste management

·         Need for proper data in waste management

·         Need for intensive advocacy (especially in local language)

·         Need for strong media involvement in awareness campaigns of environmental laws

·         Government needs to enact laws on waste segregation

·         Need to incorporate waste management in school curriculum

·         There should be more research on the importance of compost in agriculture

·         Waste to wealth should be encouraged

·         There’s need to work closely with farmers

Structure Setup/Continuous Engagement for the Zero Waste Parliament

The Zero Waste Parliament was officially inaugurated by Mr. Onyeka Titigbe, CODAF’s Assistant Director for Campaigns and Administration.

The leadership of the Zero Waste Parliament was elected via a voting process which led to the emergence of Mr. Friday Oku as the spokesman and Ms. Aghaji Ujunwa as the clerk. A system of communication amongst themselves was also established.

The parliament also agreed to develop a plan of action and to organize monthly meetings to enhance their commitments towards advancing zero waste initiatives.

Conclusion

The event was concluded with a video tour of the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Epe, Lagos State, demonstrating practical application of zero waste principles.