A NON-GOVERNMENTAL organisation, Recycling Scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment (RESWAYE), has charged residents of Lagos to promote healthy living by ensuring clean environment.
It also urged stakeholders to support community beach cleaning, create more awareness on recycling and wealth creation.The Founder of RESWAYE, Doyinsola Ogunye, gave the charge at a cleanup exercise in Folu Community, lbeju Lekki, Lagos.
She disclosed that the awareness and cleanup event would promote a cleaner, more sustainable environment in the area. She said: “Recycling Scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment Project has been engaging stakeholders over the years to get rid of huge volume of plastic waste across 16 coastal communities in Ibeju Lekki. “
According to her, mitigating climate change and global warming in Nigeria require collective efforts by critical stakeholders, through proper management of wastes including plastic bottles, pure water sachets, containers, empty can drinks and others in gutters and coastal environment.
She appreciated the community for supporting the organisation with a land at the beach for recreation and other location for the Recycling Bank.
Ogunye said: “Seeing our network of women and youth recyclers protect the shorelines and coastlines of Lagos State, as they gather plastic waste has been fulfilling. It empowers the women and youths during these turbulent times as they continue to preserve the environment. Women and youths are encouraged to maintain cleaner, more sustainable environment.”
She said through RESWAYE Initiative and other collaborations, beneficiaries are paid a token depending on when they pick up and deliver plastic waste to the Reswaye project.
“The project brings significant economic relief to these communities, which have been hit hard by the economic consequences with the support from Blue companies to reduce society wastes,” Ogunye said.
The RESWAYE boss said: “We work with communities everywhere to better understand recycling and collection challenges while stimulating a recycling culture among residents. Waste washes up on the shores of coastal communities, an eyesore that makes life unpleasant while also reducing the opportunity to make money from tourists visiting the beaches. Plastic waste also reduces economic opportunity when fishes and other aquatic animals swallow and choke on them.”
Speaking at the event, Nollywood actor, Jide Kosoko, said we can build a sustainable environment and oceans through awareness, education and job creation.
He urged the community to partner with RESWAYE to reduce plastic pollution through collection and recycling, stressing that partner, governments and civil society organisations should be part of the initiative.
He commended the women and youths in the community for working with the organisation. He also warned that if plastics and waste items are not cleaned, they pose a greater burden to the environment.
