Nigeria/Nigerians mobilize to clean up Lagos on Earth Day
World Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 2024. To mark the occasion, young people dedicated to the environmental cause carried out a sanitation operation in the Nigerian city of Lagos.
Around the world, public and private activities were organized on April 22 to mark Earth Day. In Nigeria, where insalubrity coexists with the populations of certain cities, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Sustyvibes took action.
A sanitation operation mobilized volunteers in the streets and markets of the economic capital Lagos, which is internationally renowned for its cleanliness.internationally renowned for its business dynamism, but also for its high population density (16 million inhabitants). These young people mainly collected household refuse and plastic waste, which undermine the attractiveness of urban areas and increase pollution.
"We don''t need to wait for days like Earth Day to become more aware of our environment. This planet is all we have, and if we don''t join hands to ensure a sustainable future, who else will do it for us?" asks Sonia Ugwunna, environmental activist and interim project manager for SustyVibes.
This plea is particularly aimed at Nigeria, which is a major producer of all types of waste. The West African country generates 4.7 million tonnes of plastic waste per year (World Bank figures) and 16900 tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is what motivated Nigerian start-up Quadloop to embrace the circular economy. In Lagos, the start-up recycles old computers and cell phones into solar lanterns.
Source: www.afrik21.africa/
