World Clean Up Day: Lafarge Africa Cleans Popular Lagos, Ogun Markets …Donates Cleaning Equipment
Lagos, Nigeria, Saturday, September 27, 2022. In celebration of the 2022 World Clean-Up Day, leading building and innovative solutions Company, Lafarge Africa Plc., alongside Partners (Julius Berger Agro, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Belpapyrus Limited, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Biersdoff Nivea Nigeria Limited, A&P Foods Limited, Michellin Nigeria Limited, Valency Agro Nigeria Limited, Lagos Waste Management Agency - LAWMA) embarked on clean-up exercises at the popular Ketu International Fruits Market in Lagos and Kuto Market in Abeokuta, Ogun State to commemorate the day.
The event which coincided with Lafarge’s 2022 Geocycle Week with the theme “Rethinking Waste” had a large number of Lafarge Africa Staff members along with several representatives of partner organisations and over 100 volunteers participating in the cleaning exercise.
Addressing participants at the Lagos event, Temitope Dosunmu, Commercial Manager, Geocycle, Lafarge Africa Plc, said that the World Clean-Up Day as the name implies is a day for organisations like Lafarge to sensitize the general public and create awareness for improved waste management that will create a cleaner and healthier environment.
“The benefits and advantages of sanitation in our markets cannot be overemphasized considering the high volume of waste generated. In line with our commitment to building a cleaner and healthier environment together, we strongly believe we have a significant role to play. The essence of this exercise therefore is to create awareness for improved waste management that will engender a cleaner and healthier environment. Through our operations and innovative solutions, we remain committed to making a zero-waste future a reality,” she said.
Also speaking at the event, Greg Salami, Operations Manager, Geocycle, Lafarge Africa Plc said rethinking waste challenges and providing innovative solutions to them is the core business of Geocycle; noting that the company’s approach ensures recycling as well as the recovery of resource value that are inherent in waste.
“Waste is a reusable resource which when well sorted can be reused or recycled. The recycler portion can create jobs; create mini-SMEs that work with recycled products, waste management and so on.”
“Waste for us at Lafarge is very important, because we also include it in our production process, in terms of deriving energy from them or raw material, as the case maybe, we are so passionate about waste, the more waste we reuse reduces the impact of waste in the society,” he concluded.
“We know a lot of activities go on in the market, and waste is generated in the process, so we have come here today to sensitize the market men and women that we can convert waste into very usable resource and at the end of the day, the generality of the society is going to benefit.”
In her remarks, Gloria Ajoge-Adaba, Chief Executive Officer, Remould Global Ventures Ltd., said that the exercise was designed to sensitize the people about the need to ensure a clean environment, clean up litter from the market and rid it of mismanaged waste.
“Every human being generates waste, so it is very beneficial to everybody and we all need to change our attitude towards waste. So, we are campaigning that we should rethink waste and not see waste as a burden or something that is irritating to society. It can be reused and it can be recycled and even the one that is recycled and has waste, Lafarge Geocycle is telling us that we can use that waste and turn it to energy.”
Similarly, the cleaning exercise held at Oba Lipede Market, Kuto Market in Abeokuta Ogun State, produced outstanding results with over 100 volunteers also participating in the exercise.
Also speaking on the rethinking waste initiative, Titilayo Falaiye, CEO, Orange Strategy Waste Value explained: “We are a waste recycling firm here in Ogun State. We are working towards helping people in Ogun State inculcate the habit of proper waste disposal by separating recyclable waste from the general waste and in exchange from the recyclable waste they get a token which is in form of cash, food items and household items. This is to normalize the idea of not putting their waste together and separating recyclable waste from the general waste. We are happy to be doing this in partnership with Lafarge Africa.”
Toyin Obatosin, Coordinating Director, Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) in his remark said, “As you are aware, OGWAMA is the agency in charge of waste collection in Ogun State and when Lafarge Geocycle decided on a a clean-up initiative in commemoration of the World Clean Up Day, we partnered with them.”
“We have been focused on executing excellent work since the inception of this administration, so it is also an opportunity for us to continue our advocacy in proper waste management. Today has really been a wonderful event, the market women responded excellently and the whole essence of it is what you are seeing now,” she noted.
At the end of the cleanup exercise, Lafarge Africa presented cleaning equipment to the two Market Associations.
Responding to the donation, Chief Mrs. Tejumade Adenekan-Bakre, Iyaloja, Oba Lipede Market, Kuto, Abeokuta expressed the Associations’ appreciation to the building solutions Company and its partners for the cleaning exercise. “I am happy with this program because it has never happened in this market before; I thank the Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) and Lafarge Africa for choosing our market as one of the markets to create awareness at. I am advising the market women that they should always sort their waste so that companies like Lafarge can make proper use of it”
About Lafarge Africa Plc
Lafarge Africa Plc, a leading Sub-Saharan Africa building solutions company is a member of Holcim Limited, a world leader in building solutions accelerating our world’s green transformation . Listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Lafarge Africa is actively participating in the urbanization and economic growth of Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa.
Lafarge Africa has the widest footprint in Nigeria with cement operations in the South West (Ewekoro and Sagamu in Ogun State), North East (Ashaka, in Gombe State), South East (Mfamosing, Cross Rivers State) with Ready-Mix operations in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. Lafarge Africa has a current installed cement production capacity of 10.5Mtpa.
Lafarge Africa leverages on its innovative expertise to provide value-added products and services solutions in the building and construction industry in Nigeria. Additional information is available on the web site at www.lafarge.com.ng
About Holcim
Holcim builds progress for people and the planet. As a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, Holcim is enabling greener cities, smarter infrastructure and improving living standards around the world. With sustainability at the core of its strategy Holcim is becoming a net zero company, with its people and communities at the heart of its success. The company is driving the circular economy as a world leader in recycling to build more with less. Holcim is the company behind some of the world’s most trusted brands in the building sector including ACC, Aggregate Industries, Ambuja Cement, Disensa, Firestone Building Products, Geocycle, Holcim and Lafarge. Holcim is 70,000 people around the world who are passionate about building progress for people and the planet through four business segments: Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete, Aggregates and Solutions & Products.
More information is available on www.holcim.com
CONTACT
Ginikanwa Frank-Durugbor
Head, Corporate Communications
Ginikanwa.frank-durugbor@lafarge.com
